Chaos Theory
by AndreaTash
Summary: It's been two years since Sam and Dean left Isabel in Kansas to find their dad and the demon. Now a single phonecall makes Dean wonder if leaving her behind was the right thing to do or only the first in a chain of tragic mistakes. Sequel to Roadtripping.
1. What if

AN: Hi everyone! Again! I wasn't planning on writing anymore for a while but I just couldn't stop myself. This stuff is addictive! I'll just warn you that it's not going to come out as quickly as the other two stories since I'm kinda making it up as I go along.

I know Supernatural starts again soon over in the States. I'm in Australia so we probably won't see the new season until next year. With that in mind, I'm not sure how this will fit in with season 2, so we'll just call it an AU fiction, shall we?

I don't own anything Supernatural except for any characters you don't recognize from the show, such as Isabel and Paul. I'm just borrowing some characters and some dialogue.

Here's a summary of the last two stories in case you've either forgotten what they were about, don't feel like reading them again, or just plain flat-out don't want to read them.

XXXXX

In Thicker Than Water.

After the events of _Skin_, Sam and Dean continue on their search for their father when Sam has a prophetic dream about their cousin Isabel in Illinois, whom they haven't seen or spoken to since a major falling out eight years ago. Connecting the dream with a string of missing girls in Isabel's town, they reluctantly agree to warn her but she is less than thrilled about their impromptu visit and skeptical when Sam reveals the reason to be his rather vague dream. But when a sixth local girl, and Isabel's old college roommate mysteriously vanishes without a trace, she agrees to let her cousins stay with her.

Putting their differences aside and working together with Isabel, the three investigate the strange disappearances and link them to an incubus half-demon, who seems to be collecting the women in order to breed. As they get closer to the identity of the demon, tempers flare as unresolved issues from their past are brought to the surface and confrontations ensue, with Isabel and Dean clashing about everything from her resentment of John, to Dean's accusation that Isabel's new boyfriend may be involved in the disappearances. But family tensions and old grudges have to be put aside when Isabel suddenly disappears and Sam and Dean have to race the clock to get to their cousin in time.

In Roadtripping

After Isabel's horrendous ordeal in _Thicker Than Water_ she is left physically and mentally scarred though determined to move on with her life. Not wanting to leave their troubled cousin behind alone, Sam and Dean agree to take her along on a road trip as they continue their search for their missing father. Not far into the journey, however, they inevitably get drawn into the world of the supernatural again. In between dealing with the hook man in Iowa to a plague of insects in Oklahoma, the three celebrate Sam's birthday, cope with Isabel's relapse and still manage to squeeze some blockbuster fights and good old family bonding.

Their less-than-perfect road trip ultimately falls apart when another of Sam's dream takes them to the boys' childhood home in Lawrence, Kansas and leads Sam and Dean to an encounter with the ghost of their mother. Meanwhile, Isabel faces demons of her own as John finally comes out of hiding to face his estranged niece without his sons' knowledge. Together with Missouri Moseley, John warns Isabel of looming danger from the demon that killed Mary, and he pleads with her to separate herself from his sons. Isabel makes the difficult choice to remain in Kansas, as Dean and Sam reluctantly leave without her to continue their search for their father and the demon that has destroyed their lives.

Now that we're done with formalities, here's the story...

XXXXX

Lawrence, Kansas

Dean had always loved his car. His beautiful '67 black Chevy Impala. Loved it and had never ever cursed at it in anger, kicked it in frustration or put up with anyone who insulted it in any way. This moment was an exception.

"Why can't you go faster, you piece of crap?" He hissed at the car as if it were a person capable of hearing him and complying.

He was rewarded with a roar from the engine and as he pushed his foot to the gas pedal as far as it would go, the Impala get a second wind and he noticed with a small amount of satisfaction that he'd finally managed to get up beyond the legal speed limit.

His heart was pounding and his stomach churned as he pulled into the hospital parking lot. He killed the engine and took a deep breath before stepping out, wanting to remain seated in the comfort of his car for a moment to gather himself, but knowing he didn't have the time. He ran to the door as fast as his legs could take him and rushed to the front desk of the small but surprisingly crowded reception room. The nurse at the desk must have noticed his anxious expression because she didn't bother with either small talk or even a courteous greeting. She simply nodded to him and waited.

"Sam Winchester and Isabel Bennet" He panted hurriedly.

The nurse silently turned to her monitor and typed in the names on the keyboard in front of her. She pursed her lips and looked up at him with a frown.

"Are you sure those are the right names?" She asked gently.

"Yes" He said impatiently.

"There's no one here by those names, Sir" She said "You sure you're at the right hospital?"

"Yes, I'm sure" He said with an edge to his tone and a dour expression.

"Are you family?"

"Yes" He answered brusquely. The nurse looked at him expectantly and he huffed at her unforthcoming attitude and her inexplicable desire to waste his precious time "My brother and cousin"

"OK" The woman said, still a perfect picture of calm "Do you know what happened?"

"No, that's why I'm here!" He yelled then took a deep breath to compose himself. Sam might have been carrying a fake ID with him at the time. Maybe that's why they didn't have a Sam Winchester "Look, there was message left on my phone by a paramedic almost two hours ago, saying they were brought here. It came from my brother's phone, I've tried calling back but there's no answer"

"Let's check again" She said soothingly, noticing the young man in front of her was getting more agitated by the minute "Sam Winchester and Isabel Bennett, was it?

"Yeah…no, wait!" He sighed and cursed himself for forgetting his cousin had taken her husband's name "Uh, she got married…Rhoades… Isabel Rhoades"

The nurse typed the name in then looked up at Dean again.

"May I please see some ID?"

He swallowed an insult and pulled out his wallet, fishing out his license and throwing it on the desk. It landed on her keyboard. She picked it up without a word and examined it closely.

"OK Mr. Winchester" She said looking up at him again "What is your relation to Mrs. Rhoades?"

"Are you serious?" He asked in aggravation "I just told you, she's my cousin. Sam Winchester is my brother"

"I have no record of a…Sam Winchester" She said with a glance at her monitor.

"Lady, you're getting on my last nerve" He warned her darkly as he banged his hand on the counter "Tell me where my brother and cousin are before I lose it!"

"I can't disclose that information until…"

"Just tell me if they're OK!" He pleaded desperately. He knew the nurse had found them on her computer. Sam and Isabel were somewhere in this hospital "Please, just tell me that"

"I don't know that Sir, I'm sorry" She said, and she did sound it "I'll page the ER and get a doctor to come down. I don't have access to that information. Please just take a seat"

He rubbed a hand over his face in frustration. His nerves were so frayed he didn't know how much more of this he could take before he snapped. What if the nurse wasn't telling him anything because something really bad had happened? What if Sam and Isabel were already…dead? He shook his head. No. That wasn't going to happen. His cell rang and he jerked like a madman as he fumbled desperately for it. He read the ID and groaned in frustration and dread.

It was Isabel's husband, Paul, no doubt wanting to ask about his wife. What was he going to tell him?

"Paul" He said hesitantly into the phone.

"Dean!" He said "What the hell is going on? My plane's just landed and I've been calling Isabel for the last hour! She's not picking up"

"Paul" Dean started.

"Sam's not picking up either" He continued over the sound of planes landing and taking off in the background. Dean figured he was still at the airport or somewhere near it "Is she still out with him? I've told her a million times to take her phone with her when…"

"Listen, Paul" Dean cut him off "You need to come to the hospital right now!"

"Hospital?" Paul's voice rose an octave as curiosity over the whereabouts of his wife was replaced with anxiousness over her welfare "Jesus! Dean, what the hell happened?"

"They were brought here a couple of hours ago but they won't tell me anything else" He snapped back, not dealing with the situation well enough himself to be able to placate his cousin's husband "Just get down here now!"

"Twenty minutes" Paul said and hung up.

Dean took a seat and waited for someone to come down and talk to him. He waited for Paul to show up. He waited and waited and thought of the last time he'd seen his cousin and brother. It had been earlier that morning.

Isabel had a doctor's appointment. Paul was still in Houston on business and she didn't want to go by herself, so Sam offered to drive her. She'd smiled brightly in excitement and said they could make a day out of it, go out for lunch afterwards, and even check out the new exhibition at the art gallery. They'd looked Dean's way across the kitchen table in invitation and he'd laughed at them as if they'd just suggested he take part in the Mardi Gras parade.

"I think I'll pass" He said sarcastically "Tempting as all that sounds"

She's stuck out her tongue at him in her favorite childish expression and grabbed her purse as she stood to leave.

"Fine. Don't spend any time with the cousin you hardly ever visit" She'd said using her favorite emotional ace, the guilt trip "Stay and sulk all day. Come on, let's go Sam"

"See if you can get the engine fixed" Sam had suggested as he walked out with Isabel.

The Impala's transmission had been failing lately, and while Dean was no mechanic, he knew enough to get by, or at least diagnose the problem. He'd taken the car to Guenther, his dad's old mechanic, who'd fixed it in just under two hours. Guenther couldn't understand why Dean couldn't just get rid off it. Ever since it had been hit by that truck in the 'accident', it had caused nothing but headaches. Dean didn't feel like explaining to the mechanic that it was more than just a car to him. It was a one of the only things he had left of his dad, with sentimental value well beyond any material figure imaginable. He would keep that car until it literally fell apart.

He'd spent the rest of the afternoon lounging in Isabel and Paul's house. Sitting and watching TV until he eventually dozed off. When he woke up it was dark and he noticed he'd had a missed call from Sam. He went to his voice mail and that's when the paramedic's controlled voice told him Isabel and Sam had been taken to hospital. Nothing about what happened, nothing about if they were dead or alive.

He thought back to the time Missouri had first warned them of the danger of staying together. Could this be what she was talking about? Probably not. Back then the psychic had said they were in danger from the demon that had killed their mother and Sam's girlfriend, Jessica. Especially Isabel. So they agreed, albeit reluctantly, to leave her in Kansas, though still managed to stay in touch over the following months. A big part of Dean felt that separating themselves from her was the best thing they could have done for her, but a smaller part of him believed it had been a huge mistake, from the start. Sam and Isabel would disagree with him on that. In any case, the demon was dead now. Gone. It was over. Or was it? What if the danger Missouri had seen in their future wasn't' actually related to the demon at all, but something else entirely.

Had everything been leading up to this? Was fate nothing more than reality waiting to happen? Maybe all they'd done two years ago was delay the inevitable.

He thought back to the day he'd lost his dad as they'd hunted the demon. It seemed so long ago, though only a couple of years had gone by since John Winchester had died. He thought he'd never recover from that, and yet with his brother and cousin's help, support and refusal to let him wallow in his own grief , he'd been able to crawl out of that deep dark hole of rage and anguish he'd dug for himself and was now beginning to salvage a semblance of life and his old self. But, what if today all that changed? He'd lost his mother, his father….if he lost Sam or Isabel, or God forbid both of them, he would truly have no one left. He knew that was a hole it would take him longer than one lifetime to crawl out of.

He took a deep breath and tried not to get ahead of himself. As he waited for the doctor to come to him he thought back to that time, a couple of years ago, when he and Sam had just left Isabel in Kansas, safe and sound with Missouri, and were still trying to find their dad. Isabel always said that it was pointless to ponder life's 'what ifs', but right now, by himself in the hospital waiting room, Dean had nothing else to do. What if it _had_ all been leading up to this?


	2. The Message

AN: I apologize for the delay. I did warn you this one would come out a little slower. I do have most of it planned out though. Thank you for the reviews. Toodles everyone, AT

XXXXX

2 years ago

Antigo, Wisconsin

Dean studied the map in front of him in deep concentration, as he double checked the text message he'd received on his cell minutes earlier. It was almost noon but the motel room was dark, the only source of light coming from the window next to him. The open blinds let the sun's rays through, providing Dean with all the light he needed as he sat at the small desk. He heard sounds from behind him but didn't bother to look up or turn around. Sam stepped out of the bathroom and walked over to his older brother.

"What are you doing?" He asked looking over Dean's shoulder.

Dean handed him his phone and showed him the text message.

"It's a text message" He said "Coordinates"

"You think dad was texting you?" Sam asked curiously.

Sam put the phone down again and picked up their dad's diary, looking through it for anything that might indicate what the coordinates might be for.

"He's given us coordinates before" Dean said, marking the place on the map.

"The man can barely work a toaster, Dean" Sam said looking from the map to the diary "Wait a minute; this place is in dad's diary. Rockford…looks like an asylum"

"Illinois it is. Let's go" Dean said as he started to pack up their stuff from the small desk. He looked at Sam who had picked up the phone again "Don't bother, it's an unknown number"

"I know" Sam said.

"Who are you calling, then?"

"Isabel" Sam said scrolling to Missouri's home number "Haven't talked to her in a while"

"It's been a week since we left, Sam" Dean said rolling his eyes, dumping the stuff into his duffel bag "And we spoke to her two days ago"

Sam chose to ignore him. It was true what Dean had said though. However, even though she hadn't been with them for long, her absence the past week was palpable and the tension between himself and Dean was only intensifying.

"Hi Missouri" Sam said as the older psychic picked up the phone "Is Isabel around?"

He could hear Missouri call out for his cousin and he waited for Isabel to come to the phone, as Dean started to pack up the few clothes scattered around the room.

"Sammy?" Her voice came through the phone "You again? Am I going to have to get a restraining order against you?"

"You don't want to talk to me?" He asked in mock offence "OK then, bye"

"No, no, no, wait" She said quickly with a chuckle, though she knew he was only teasing and wouldn't hang up on her "You know I'm joking!"

"How are you?" He asked with a smile he wished she could see.

"I'm good, really good" She said "No nightmares"

"Really? That's great"

"And there's more. I met one of Missouri's clients the other day, and she's got me a job where she works" She said excited "I have a job!"

"That's great!" He said surprised his cousin seemed to be taking the separation better than he and Dean were "Where at?"

"The local strip joint"

His face paled "The what?"

He heard her laugh "I'm kidding! You, my dear, are _too_ easy! I'll be working at her health spa. She's going to train me and I'm going to do a massage therapy course. How cool is that?"

"Sounds really good, Bel" He said, excited and happy for her though at the same time berating himself for believing her. She was right, he _was_ too easy.

"How are you guys? Is it lonely without me?"

"Yeah" Sam admitted "I miss you making fun of me, but Dean's been picking up the slack"

Dean snorted and glanced at his brother before picking up his bags and carrying them out to the car.

"I'm sure he has" Isabel said.

"You miss us too?" He asked timidly.

Though he couldn't see it she smiled at his tentative question. He was such a cutie.

"Every minute of every day Sam" She said sincerely "I've got no one to fight with here. You know how hard it is to pick a fight with a psychic? They're so damn understanding. Missouri just won't take the bait!"

"That's a shame" He said dryly "I'm sorry to hear you're getting along"

"We are" she said with a small laugh "She's great. Where are you guys now?"

"We're about to make our way to Illinois. It's weird actually. Dean got a text message with coordinates this morning. We think it may be from our dad" There was silence on the line and Sam wondered if she heard him "Bel?"

She knew Dean would have received the message by now. She knew they would assume it was from their dad. She even knew that either he or Sam would mention it to her the next time they spoke. But she still wasn't prepared to lie, or rather, to keep from them the not-so-little fact that, while the message _had _come from their dad, it had been sent _by her_. She was glad she was on the line with Sam, because for some reason, Dean could read her like no one else and he would be able to tell straight away she was hiding something, even if she wasn't standing in front of him. He'd be able to tell just by the sound of her voice.

A weight settled on her shoulders then. If her cousins ever found out she'd been in contact with their dad and lied to them about it, they would be less than impressed. She might actually have to end up joining the witness protection program like she'd joked about previously.

"Yeah sorry, I was just thinking." She said unsurely "You know, Sam, maybe whatever your dad's doing, he doesn't want you involved. Maybe it's something dangerous"

"What?" Sam asked skeptically at his cousin's uncharacteristic siding with his father.

Dean had walked back in and was looking at Sam's troubled face questioningly. He ignored his brother's stare and picked up his own bag, stepping out of the room into the sunny motel parking lot. Dean had left the trunk open for him and he dumped his bag in.

"I'm just saying, that I'm sure he's got his reasons" She said, wincing even as she said it because she hated keeping things from her cousin and knowing that he could sense there was something she wasn't saying.

"Since when are you taking his side?" Sam asked a little more bitterly than he would have liked. He slammed the trunk shut.

"I'm not Sam, I'm just…never mind" She said and quickly changed the subject before he asked more questions and she ended up putting her foot in her mouth "Hey, did I by any chance leave a scarf in your car?"

He still wondered where her comment about his father came from but decided to let it slide. Maybe Missouri and her had spoken about what had happened. Maybe the psychic had been able to bring Isabel around in a way that he and Dean hadn't been able to. In any case, if her anger towards her uncle was waning, he wasn't going to ask too many questions about it.

"The purple one? Yeah, you did" He said glancing through the rear window of the Impala at the silk scarf she'd left behind "you left it in the back seat"

Dean had actually noticed it the day after they left Isabel in Kansas, reaching an arm behind his seat and pulling it with a questioning frown. Sam had suggested they take it back, figuring they were still close enough to Lawrence that it wouldn't be a huge detour, but Dean had shaken his head and thrown the scarf back saying they would just give it to her the next time they saw her. And that's where it was now, in the same spot Dean had left it one week ago. It stuck out like a sore thumb against the black leather.

"It's not purple, it's lavender" She explained, as if to a colorblind child "Damn, it's one of my favorites!"

"Do you want us to bring it back?" Sam asked hopefully. He knew that if _she_ asked then Dean would say yes.

"No, that's OK. It's only a scarf" She said now more cheerfully "Keep it as a memento, or you can wear it if you like"

"Funny"

"You can give it to me next time you see me. Just make sure Dean doesn't give it to one of his…playmates"

Sam smiled and rolled his eyes "I'm going to tell him you said that"

"Tell him. I don't care" She said with a shrug, though she immediately realized he couldn't see it "You're in another state, what's he gonna do? He's only got _you_ to bitch and moan to now"

"Yeah" He said with a glance towards his brother as Dean walked out of the motel room and closed the door behind him "Tell me about it"

She laughed a little nervously "Hey, listen Sam…I've got to go"

He frowned at her tone "Everything OK?"

"Yeah…just" She took a deep breath and finished her sentence quickly "I've got a date"

Sam was taken aback "A date?" Dean turned around and tilted his head to the side, looking at Sam with raised eyebrows.

"Yep, he's picking me up in ten minutes. It's a gorgeous day down here. We're going out for a picnic lunch"

"Who is he?" He asked leaning back against the passenger door of the car.

"You know the woman who got me the job? It's her younger brother. He came to pick her up from Missouri's appointment and he asked me out. I thought, why not?"

"Well, are you sure you're ready?" He asked, not sure how he felt about it. Part of him was happy for her, part of him wondered if it was a little too soon.

"No. But there's no way of telling unless I try it, right?" She said casually before whispering mischievously "Get right back on the horse…so to speak"

"OK, then" He said slowly, always a little uncomfortable with her sexually suggestive choice of words "What's his name? What does he do?"

"Sam, can we do the interrogation another time?" She asked impatiently "Don't worry, Missouri assures me he's a good guy"

"I'll let you go then, get ready" Sam said glancing again at his brother, who was now next to him scowling and motioning for Sam to hand him the phone "Dean says hi. Talk to you later, bye"

He hung up quickly and Dean clenched his jaw "I heard the word date" He said tightly.

"Isabel's got a date" Sam said casually though he knew Dean would pounce on it and not let go "And a job. She sounds really happy"

"Who with?" Dean asked coolly and Sam smiled knowing his brother was not as blasé about it as he would like to think.

"At a health spa" Sam answered "One of Missouri's clients has a…"

"The date Sam!" Dean interrupted curtly.

"Missouri's client's brother" Sam said "It's just a date Dean, relax"

"I'm not worried" Dean said with a shrug, pulling car keys out of his pocket "I just don't want her to rush into anything. After everything that's happened, I think the last thing she needs is…"

"It's a date Dean" Sam repeated, interrupting his brother's tirade "She's not marrying the man!"

Dean looked at Sam pointedly before turning around and walking to the driver's side of the car with a shake of his head.

"Unbelievable! We leave her alone for just one week!" He heard Dean mutter to himself as he briskly opened the car door and sat at the wheel "One week!"


	3. Devil's Advocate

AN: thanks to everyone who's reading, and everyone reviewing. Hope you all like this it so far. A lot happened in the two years since Sam and Dean left Isabel in Kansas. This story is about what happened in those two years leading up to Chapter 1. Cheers! AT

XXXXXXXX

Indiana

Shortly after their gig at the asylum in Rockford, Illinois, Sam and Dean had received a call they'd been waiting months for. However, after the initial relief that their father was safe, it had quickly turned into anything but a joyful moment.

The day John Winchester finally contacted his sons after his 'hiatus'; Sam and Dean had had their first really big fight, which ended with Sam leaving Dean in the middle of a hunt in Indiana. Sam had been adamant to find their dad, determined to make his way to Sacramento one way or another.

Dean, on the other hand, torn between respecting his dad's wishes and wanting to follow his brother Sam, ultimately ended up siding with his father. This was something that surprised him, because if he had to be completely honest with himself, he really did want to go with Sam. What surprised him the most though, and what he'd underestimated, was Isabel's influence over Sam, even from three states away. When he'd called Isabel to tell her about what had happened and that he and Sam had decided to go their separate ways, he made sure to stick to facts and remain diplomatic about the whole situation, fighting the temptation to act like a petulant child and lay all blame on Sam.

At the time, she seemed unbiased and he thought she'd just shrugged it off, but later Sam would tell him that their cousin had called him after her talk with Dean, and she had definitely given Sam a piece of her mind, laying on the guilt, nice and thick, the way only she could.

Sam's cell had rang as he and the girl he'd just met, Meg, were waiting for their bus to arrive at the station to take them to California. Sam sighed as he read the caller ID. If there was one other person, aside from Dean, he didn't feel like talking to at that particular moment, it was his cousin.

"Hang on, I've gotta take this" Sam said to the young girl sitting next to him.

Meg nodded with a smile "Sure"

"Hello" He said into the phone.

"What's this I hear about you ditching Dean?" Her tone was accusing and harsh, making Sam slump in his chair.

He rolled his eyes "Nice to hear your voice too" He said sarcastically.

"Don't get cute with me, mister. That's _my_ thing" She said over the line.

"I'm going to guess you've spoken to Dean" He said dryly.

"Sam, what the hell are you doing?"

"We got a call from dad. He's in California and I'm going over to find him" He explained.

"What about this thing in Indiana?"

"Dean can handle it" Sam said unsurely as he turned slightly from Meg. He didn't really want her to hear this "The whole point of me going with him was to find our dad, and now we finally have a lead. I'm not just going ignore it"

"How long will it take you to get to California, huh? Two days, three days?" She said "Do you really think he'll still be there by that time?"

"I've got to try Bel" He said determined "I just want this over with"

"I understand that Sam. I know you guys are having problems but Dean is your brother and you need to do this together"

"That's right, he should be coming with me! Maybe this isn't about me leaving him here, maybe it's about him deciding to stay. You're only taking his side because he got to you first"

"If your dad called you and asked you to look into this scarecrow thing, don't you think it might be important?"

"More important than finding him?"

She was silent for a moment as she debated whether she should continue to play devil's advocate when in reality she had to agree with Sam's point of view. But there was something wrong about them splitting up. Something telling her it wasn't supposed to happen.

"Dean needs you, Sam" She said finally "And you know it. You know he's too proud and stubborn to say it, but trust me. He needs you on this. Don't leave him. Not like this"

"I've made up my mind on this, Bel" He said, though not as determined as before.

He was already having doubts about leaving his brother before Isabel had called, and now…now he was torn about finding his father or helping Dean. What if Dean needed his help? Maybe he'd call him before jumping on the bus.

"Fine. I'm not going to talk you out of it. Just remember…we've all had to sacrifice things we want for the sake of…" She took a deep breath "If anything happens to Dean, you'll never forgive yourself"

"Wow, you're really good at laying on the guilt, you know that?" He said bitterly.

"You only feel guilty because you know I'm right" She said, her tone had taken on a spiteful edge, revealing the vicious streak she often used when an argument wasn't going her way "It's your turn now to make a difficult choice. Just think of what's really at stake before you take the high road"

"What do you mean by that?"

"You know perfectly well what I mean" She said "I'm going to call Dean tonight and if you're not with him, I'll be really disappointed"

"You think that's going to change my mind?" He said, determined to not admit that she was getting to him.

"To be honest with you, I don't know what the hell is going on in your mind" She said "I know you're smart though, and right now I'm not sure you're thinking clearly"

"The last thing I need right now is a lecture from you" Not as successful in matching her callousness.

"Fine" She said "We're done"

With that she hung up, leaving Sam to stare at the phone in frustration. How could she be so sweet and caring one moment then turn completely around and rip you to shreds? He shook his head. What did it matter how she did it? It had worked, hadn't it? He scrolled down the contact list on his cell and stopped at Dean's number, staring at it for a few seconds.

"Who was that?" Meg asked Sam.

He turned to her in surprise. He'd almost forgotten she was sitting next to him.

"Cousin" He said "One of her usual pep-talks"

"About?"

"Family loyalty" He said, rolling his eyes "She spoke to my brother about me leaving…wants me to go back"

"Wow, a controlling brother _and_ cousin? No wonder you're running away"

"She means well" He said, not knowing why he was defending her.

"Is she with your brother?"

"No, she's in Kansas" Sam explained "Lawrence"

"Wow! Pussy whipped across state lines. She's good" Meg said.

At that moment he realized what was really happening. He and Dean had left Isabel in Kansas almost a month ago, their dad was somewhere in California, and he was just about to leave his brother in Indiana, in the middle of a hunt. It shouldn't be like that. Was he about to make a huge mistake?

"It's not like that" Sam said a little irritated, though he knew Isabel's little spiel had already worked its way through his conscience. He would call Dean before got on that bus "She's just really good with the guilt trips"

"I like her already, what's her name?"

"Isabel"

Sam had told Meg about Isabel in the time it took for the bus to arrive. Sam had called Dean, or tried to anyway. His older brother wouldn't pick up and ultimately he decided to miss the Sacramento bus, leaving Meg alone at the station. Unfortunately, it would not be the last time they'd see each other.

He didn't think it strange at the time that Meg seemed so interested in talking about him and his life. It was only later that the significance of their conversation would fall into place, and he would question the role he'd unwittingly played in the events to follow.

Dean teased him later, _after_ Sam saved his hide from being sacrificed to the scarecrow, _after_ Sam explained how he'd come to change his mind. Isabel hadn't really been the one to change his mind; all she'd really done was nudge him slightly. They didn't talk about it much, and even when Isabel rang Dean later that day like she'd said, she didn't mention their argument that morning, and she hadn't been at all surprised to find out Sam was with Dean again.


	4. The Sniffles?

Caution: spoilers for Faith

XXXXX

It had never been Dean's intention to lie to his cousin. As his conscience protested he tried to convince himself that he was only doing it for her own good. For the good of everyone, really. What was the point in worrying her if there was nothing anyone could do? There was nothing to gain from telling the truth. This, of course, would come back later to bite him in the ass.

Sam was outside talking to the doctors, no doubt being offered the same discouraging news that he himself had had the pleasure of hearing moments ago. The electric shock he'd received in the basement of that house had damaged his heart beyond any hope for healing and there was nothing modern medicine could now do, giving Dean, at best, one week to live.

He wasn't looking forward to his brother joining him once he was done with the doctors. Sam would try with all his might, but ultimately he would fall apart in front of him and that was something that Dean wasn't yet ready for. He needed a slight sense of false security right now. Something that would help him forget, or ignore what was happening. What he needed right now was to hear her voice; her sparkling voice, still untouched by the news of his heart attack by electrocution.

He dialed her number from his hospital bed and waited for her to pick up.

"Dean?" Her voice reached him and he couldn't help the smile that broke over his face.

"Hello kitten" He gasped as he struggled to breathe "How are you?"

"I'm OK" She said "You sound like crap. Is everything OK?"

"I think I've come down with a cold" He said with a cringe. He hated that he was lying to her, but if the doctors were right about his heart, he wouldn't be hating himself for very long anyway.

"Oh no, you poor thing!" She said sympathetically before her tone did a turnaround and she put on her best 'scolding mother' attitude "Well, that's what you get for digging up graves and wandering around apple orchids in the middle of the night! I hope this teaches you to be a little more careful, Dean. Remember, you're only human!"

"Yeah, Bel" He said swallowing the lump in his throat. "I've learnt my lesson"

"Where are you now? And you better say you're in bed"

"I am" He said glumly looking down at the hospital bed.

"Good" She said satisfied "What are you guys up to?"

"Same old, same old" He said "Tell me what's up with you"

"Not much" She said casually "Working at the spa, making new friends"

"Still dating that guy?"

"His name is Paul" She said rolling her eyes. She'd told him a million times her boyfriend's name was Paul and he still referred to him as _that guy_ "And yes Dean, I am"

"Wow, almost three months now!" He enjoyed getting a rise out of her, but in reality he was really happy for her. This guy sounded OK and he'd obviously been good for her.

"I know" She said excited before her tone took on an edge of seriousness as if what she was saying was of the utmost importance, a big secret she was telling him and only him "I'm really falling for him Dean. I can feel it"

"Does he know what he's getting himself into?"

"He already knows I'm a little odd"

"A little odd?" He asked with a snort "Isabel, you're a twenty-four carat fruit loop! I actually meant if he knows about… the family…us in general?"

"We're not the Corleones, Dean" She said "We're not even the Sopranos"

"You know what I'm talking about" He said sternly. Mobsters they may not be, but they were far from being the Partridge Family.

"Baby steps, Dean" She said "I'm moving slow on this"

"Yeah, probably better to ease him into it" He said. It wouldn't be easy for Paul to accept everything about Isabel, without even counting Sam and Dean in the equation. From what happened to her parents, to her ordeal in Illinois, the therapy and the foster care. It was a lot of baggage for any man to take "I'm really happy for you"

"I can't wait for you guys to meet him" She said.

"Yeah" Dean forced himself to say, knowing he would probably never get the chance to meet him now.

"Are you two going to come and visit me soon?" She whined and Dean could tell without even seeing her face that she was pouting "It's been three months since you left, I'm dying to see you guys"

"Sure, Bel" He said "As soon as we can"

"You better get well soon" She insisted "Promise me you'll visit as soon as you're feeling better"

He closed his eyes "I promise, kitten"

"You better, or else I'm gonna hunt you both down"

"God, I miss you" He breathed out as he let his head fall back on the pillow. He was surprised with himself at the amount of emotion he unconsciously put into hose four words and without thinking how odd it would sound to her.

"I miss you too Dean" She said frowning at Dean's uncharacteristic display of sentimentality. Sure, he'd told her he missed her before, but never like _that._

"Well, tell me more" He said more steadily as he cleared his throat.

"About what?" She asked confused.

"Everything, anything, just… keep talking"

She was silent for a moment and he knew that she was beginning to think something wasn't adding up "You OK Dean?

_Tell her, _his mind said, _tell her_.

"Yeah, just bored" He said instead "I'm in bed and daytime TV sucks"

"OK then, I do have something to tell you" She said "This is pretty big I think…Paul and I are going away this weekend. Our first weekend away together! I'm so excited!"

"It's definitely getting serious" He said, making a mental note to have Sam check this guy Paul out.

"And there's more" She continued "He gave me a key to his place yesterday"

"Wow, that _is_ serious"

"I know, right?" She said "I was going to return the gesture but before I even got around to it, Missouri came up to me and told me to not 'even think about it'. Can you believe that? Do you know what it's like to live with a psychic Dean?"

"Yeah, I do" He said thinking of Sam.

"Oh, right. But Sam isn't like Missouri, Dean" She said "I can't keep _anything_ from her!"

'You just have to behave and be a good girl" He said with a smirk.

"I know, but its _soooo_ hard!" She said as if it were truly an impossible feat "She won't even let him spend the night! I have to sneak around like a teenager!"

He laughed and let her talk for the next half hour. At the end of their conversation she almost had him believing he _did_ just have a cold and would recover in a few days and he'd be driving down to Kansas to see her. Reality came crashing down the moment Sam walked into his room, and his mood, which had been lifted so easily by the phone call to his cousin, plummeted as soon as he caught a glimpse of his brother's grim expression. He knew what Sam came here to talk about, so Dean beat him to it.

"Have you ever actually watched daytime TV?" Dean said looking up at the screen "It's terrible"

Sam sighed and looked at his older brother "I talked to your doctor" He started.

"That fabric softener teddy bear. Oh, I'm gonna hunt that little bitch down" Still avoiding Sam's stare.

"Dean" Sam said, making Dean finally look up at him.

"Yeah" He said turning the TV off. Time to face facts "Alright, well, looks like you're gonna leave town without me"

"What are you talking about? I'm not going to leave you here"

Dean's plan half-worked. By making light of the situation, Sam rebelled, hardening in irritation and determination to not let Dean die. It was better this way. Better than having his little brother break down into a vortex of despair and taking him and possibly Isabel down with him. Let him believe there was something that could be done.

The next three days were spent with Dean calling Isabel every morning and Sam burying himself in cardiology research. It was only a matter of time until Sam cracked and disobeyed Dean's direct wishes that he not tell Isabel what was going on. As the situation became more desperate for Sam, he decided it was time Isabel was told and prepared himself as he rang her cell from the motel room phone.

"Hey, Sam" She squealed in excitement "A call from Dean, now you. It's not even my birthday!"

"You've spoken to Dean today?" Sam asked in surprise.

"Yeah, he's called me every day this week. He didn't' tell you?" She asked confused "Have you two had another fight? Is that what you two are like now that I'm not there? You know, if either of you need someone to yell at, I'm only a phone call away"

Her words were distorted slightly and he realized she was eating. He looked at his watch and noticed it was early in the morning in Lawrence, on a weekday. She was probably having breakfast before having to go to work. He heard another crunch on the end of the line and he smiled. Of course, Cheerios, her favorite.

"No" Sam said with a small laugh "No fights today"

"You sound like crap too" She said "Have you caught Dean's cold?"

Sam frowned "Cold?" He knew Dean didn't want to tell her the truth. But now he was just flat out lying to her.

"Yeah, he told me he was sick!" She said and he heard the clunk of metal as she put her spoon down "Said he'd come down with a cold, why? Isn't he sick?"

"Yeah Bel" Sam said softly as he choked up again "He's sick"

"Well…is it really that bad? Is it more than just a cold?" She asked as the first traces of concern began to enter her mind. He heard more noise and figured she had started putting dishes in the sink "Make him go see a doctor, please Sam, before it turns into something serious" There was silence on the line and she stopped all movement "Sam?"

Oh God, he couldn't do it.

"Yeah, I'm here" He said softly.

"What is it Sam? You're being really weird" She said "Are you OK? Do you want me to come over? I'm coming over, where are you?"

"No, no it's OK" Sam said quickly "I can do this"

"Do what?" She asked now agitated "Sam, you're scaring me. Where are you?"

"Don't worry, Bel' He said determined "I'll find someone"

He hung up on her before she said anymore, but more importantly before _he_ said anymore. Now he was just as much part of the lie as Dean was. Desperation was quickly making him lose focus and as much as he had avoided turning to his dad on this, he realized now that he had run out of options. While he could possibly explain himself out of keeping something like this from Isabel, John Winchester deserved to know his son was dying.

He gathered his strength once again and dialed his father's number, not surprised to get his voicemail. He hoped against hope that his dad was checking it regularly and would before it was too late.

_"This is John Winchester. I can't be reached. If this is an emergency, call my son, Dean. 866-907-3235. He can help"_

He waited for the beep and tried to hold back tears that had come out of nowhere "Hey, Dad. It's Sam. You probably won't even get this, but, uh….It's Dean. He's sick, and… the doctors say there's nothing they can do. Um….but, they don't know the things we know, right? So, don't worry, 'cause uh….I'm gonna do whatever it takes to get him better. Alright….just wanted you to know"

He hung up the phone and tossed it on the bed, as if the phone was to blame for the two calls he'd just had to make. He buried his face in his hands and was in the process of telling himself that maybe now was finally the moment to give up when he was interrupted by a knock on the door. He stood up quickly and opened it, his eyes widening in surprise to see Dean standing in front of him.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He asked his older brother in disbelief.

"I checked myself out" Dean said casually as he walked into the room.

"What?" Sam asked, wondering how the hell the hospital had let him check himself out. He looked like death "Are you crazy?"

"Well, I'm not gonna die in a hospital where the nurses aren't even hot"

Sam laughed, both at Dean's joke and at his continued attempts to pretend this wasn't scaring him. He shut the door and turned back to his brother.

"You know, this whole I-laugh-in-the-face-of-death thing? It's crap. I can see right through it"

"Yeah, whatever, dude" Dean said with a shrug as he sat on the bed and pulled out his cell phone "Wanna tell me why I have three missed calls from Isabel? All in the last ten minutes?"

"I just rang her" Sam said, not feeling in the least guilty.

"I told you not tell her about this"

"I didn't. I went along with your lie about catching the sniffles" Sam said bitterly. When Isabel found out that he lied to her about something like this, a simple 'Dean told me to' wasn't going to cut it "She knows something's up though"

"Then you must have let something slip"

"Me?" Sam asked in offense "Maybe she thinks it's a little odd that you've called her three days in a row for no reason"

"Boredom is a good reason" Dean said, sighing as Sam glared at him "I don't want her to worry OK?"

"Really?" Sam said "I think you don't have the guts to tell her"

"Yeah, sure" Dean said rolling his eyes "Have you even slept? You look worse than me

And once again they were back to their bickering. Sam didn't feel like pushing the issue of Isabel, because, like he had told Dean, he wasn't going to let his brother die, and if he wasn't going to let his brother die, then perhaps Dean was right and there was no reason to worry her unnecessarily. If this guy in Nebraska who Joshua had recommended couldn't help Dean, then he would tell her, whether Dean liked it or not. Until then, they would have to screen their calls and avoid her completely. They would deal with the repercussions of ignoring Isabel later. First things first though, he had to get Dean to Nebraska.

XXXXX

Thanks for reading. Please review. Soon the boys will make it down to visit Isabel in Kansas, and the story will deviate a little from the season 1 plot.

Thanks a bunch to all reviewers so far. Toodles, AT


	5. Puzzled

Caution again: Spoilers for Nightmare

XXXXXXX

Saginaw, Michigan

The idea that if Isabel didn't distance herself from her cousins she might truly be in danger from the demon that had killed Mary Winchester and Jessica, was something that had never totally convinced Dean. In fact, he didn't see why it would go after her even if she had stayed with them. Himself, Sam, their dad? Yeah, sure… but Isabel? What did she have to do with anything? This question was a thorn in his side, and the reason he'd never completely accepted that they had left her behind in Kansas.

Sam, on the other hand, firmly believed Missouri's warning and had never really questioned their decision to split up. Soon enough though, Sam also started asking questions about the whole connection, about the bigger picture. It had been after they'd witnessed Max kill himself; a boy with a past and powers almost identical to Sam's. It was all too much of a coincidence to be ignored.

"I've been thinking" Sam started as they packed their bags before checking out of their dingy motel room, yet again.

"That's never a good thing" Dean joked.

"I'm serious. I've been thinking… why would this demon kill mom and Jess and Max's mother?" He asked, finally giving voice to the doubts and questions that had been in Dean's mind since the moment they walked out of Missouri's house "And why would it go after Isabel? Why not one of us?"

"I don't know, Sam" Dean said, relieved to not have been the one to bring it up "It seems to go after women"

"Yeah, the women in our family, the women close to us" Sam said now worried "Dean, what if it goes after Isabel even if she's not with us?"

Dean had never seen their split from their cousin in the same light Isabel and Sam had, and he'd opposed it from the beginning. In the end, he'd been outnumbered. If he'd played his cards right and pushed Isabel's buttons, he might have been able to change her mind and convince her to go along with them, but it wasn't worth risking her life.

Now Sam had been led to the same question Dean had asked himself months ago. But he didn't have an answer to it, and by the looks of his brother's face, neither did Sam. He looked at his younger brother with a mirrored expression of uncertainty.

"I hope you'll have a dream about it"

Sam looked at Dean, horrified "I don't want to have a dream about it, Dean!"

"I meant like a warning, that way we can do something about it" Dean's expression changed as the thought occurred to him that if Sam didn't have a dream about it, like he'd had with Jessica, then there would be absolutely no way for them to stop it "You would, wouldn't you? Have a dream about it first? Before it happened?"

"I think so…_now_" Sam said, though not entirely reassured by his psychic abilities of late. His powers were getting stronger but they weren't exactly reliable. Their best hope for a warning bell was still Missouri "Even still, every time we call her and she answers the phone I feel like I've been holding my breath for days"

"Yeah" Dean agreed then asked something he already knew the answer to "Think we did the right thing leaving her in Kansas?"

"As opposed to dragging her to a haunted asylum?" Sam asked bitingly "Or having her watch Max kill himself? I think I can safely say that yes, we did the right thing"

"All I'm saying, is that I don't like that she's so far away" Dean said, trying hard to make Sam understand that while he thought Isabel was better off with Missouri, putting her life back together, he feared that if anything were to happen they wouldn't get to her in time "I'd feel better if she was with us, where we can keep an eye on her"

"She's not a puppy you can just drag around everywhere with you, Dean" Sam said "Besides, she's happy there. She's got a job, she's made new friends, and she's found someone. We did the right thing"

"Yeah, I know" Dean said with a resigned nod.

Cassie's face flashed through his mind briefly. He'd walked away from her too, for entirely different reasons, but still, he'd walked away. Had he done right by her too? Yeah, he told himself, he had. She was better off without him and, if for some reason Sam was right and the common denominator in the equation were the women near to them, she would never become a target. He shook her out of his head, telling himself it was OK if he'd most likely never see her again. With Isabel, however, that was not an option. Speaking of which, they would have to see her soon.

Straight after they left Cassie, Sam had reminded Dean that Isabel's birthday was coming up and they were not, under any circumstances, going to be let off the hook. She'd already been upset about her cousins not visiting after Dean recovered from his mysterious illness, like they'd promised. Dean had been able to keep his 'electrocution' from her, mostly by completely avoiding her phone calls, and threatening Sam with lots of pain if he told her. She'd eventually stopped asking questions but she was still badgering for them to visit her. In their last conversation she'd very plainly said their little _'we're really busy' _excuse had worn itself so thin she could see right through it.

"I still don't understand what this demon wants" Sam continued, startling Dean from his thoughts.

"I don't know, Sam" Dean said.

He let out a breath in frustration. They really needed to talk to their dad. They were getting no closer to finding the demon, and he realized that they probably never would. Not without their father.

"You don't think it may be after us? After Max and me?"

"Why would you think that?"

"Something's happening to me Dean! I mean, it's like you said. Why am I having these premonitions, these dreams?"

"I don't know" Dean repeated.

He was getting more frustrated. After months of being on the road, looking for John Winchester and hunting ghosts and demons, they had more questions than when they'd started. Every thing was getting more complicated by the minute and it all felt like a huge jigsaw puzzle with lots of pieces missing. Important pieces. Some were there, but where did they go?

"The others made sense; our old home, Jessica, Isabel. But this?" He asked, more to himself than anyone "Why would I dream about this?"

They didn't give it much thought after that; the search for their dad and the hunt for paranormal activity again drawing them away from thoughts of the demon. Until Chicago. That's when a big piece of the puzzle fell into place and things started to change, for the worst.

XXXXX

The next chapter with be centered on Shadow, and then we'll be branching off Season 1 (not completely though!)

Thanks for reading, please review. AT


	6. The Windy City

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago. That's where things started to turn, and not necessarily for the best. Granted, it was where Sam and Dean finally got to see their dad after months of searching for him. But it was where Meg's 'chance' reappearance suddenly made sense, and it was where they found out how complicated the whole situation was rapidly becoming. So much more complicated than they had originally thought.

Yep, Chicago was where Sam and Dean caught the first glimpse of how everything would eventually turn out. Of course, at the time, there was no way to tell.

Meg had played them. She had drawn them in, set up the trap, and they'd walked straight into it. They sat, each tied to a pole, and as they waited for whatever Meg had in store for them, Sam had tried to engage her in conversation. Dean wasn't sure if he was trying to buy them some time or if he simply wanted to know why they were about to die.

As it turned out, the two people who had been killed by the Daeva, were merely a ploy to catch their attention. Meg had known that as soon as the Winchester brothers realized both victims were born in Lawrence, they would assume there was a connection and come looking for answers. She provided answers with victorious glee. There had been no real connection between the victims.

"It doesn't mean anything. It was just to draw you in, that's all" She was enjoying the fact that Sam and Dean were in the dark, that she was in charge.

"You killed those two people for nothing" Sam stated bitterly.

"Baby, I've killed a lot more for a lot less"

"You trapped us. Good for you. It's Miller time" Dean cut in, impatient with her James Bond super villain routine "But why don't you kill us already?"

"Not very quick on the uptake, are we?" She said leaning in closer to him "This trap isn't for you"

Dean was puzzled and looked towards Sam, who seemed to have a horrible moment of enlightenment. Dean could almost see his brother mentally kicking himself.

"Dad" Sam said in frustration "It's a trap for Dad"

"I wasn't going to use you two originally" Meg said thoughtfully yet casually, as if they were discussing the best way to make the perfect soufflé "I had every intention of using your cousin, but it turns out…I like her! So…I thought I might save her… for a rainy day"

"How the hell do you know about her?" Dean asked as his blood ran cold.

"In Indiana, your brother here spoke about Isabel…a lot. I guess he was suffering from separation anxiety" She said with a wicked smile to Sam "He even told me where to find her"

"Dammit Sam!" He shouted before turning angrily to Meg "You go anywhere near her…"

"It'd never work" Sam cut in, more calmly than he felt. Threats from Dean would not help here. If anything, they could make things worse. He had to convince Meg that going after Isabel would get her nowhere "Isabel and our dad haven't seen or spoken to each other in over eight years. He'd never fall for it. She's useless to you"

Meg laughed as she stood and looked down at Sam. The gleam in her eyes and the smirk on her face let him know that she knew something he didn't, something he didn't want to hear. She moved in for the kill as she leaned towards him.

"Sam baby, I hate to burst your bubble there, but I happen to know that your dad and cousin have been in contact with each other for months. Ever since your little trip back home to Lawrence" She looked at Sam and Dean in mock sympathy "Oh, I'm sorry, didn't you know?"

"You're lying" Dean said, unwilling to believe what Meg was saying.

"Am I?" She asked with raised eyebrows then nodded solemnly "I guess it's pretty hard to imagine she would lie to you about something like this. She knows how hard you've been looking for your dad, how hurt and angry you'd be if you ever found out she kept something like this from you. She wouldn't do that to you, would she?"

"I don't believe you" Dean choked out. He looked to Sam, but his younger brother looked as stunned about this revelation as he did.

He replayed the last five months of phone conversations with Isabel over in his head. He didn't want to believe Meg, but he couldn't deny that it made sense. Isabel always faltered whenever John's name was mentioned, and she would quickly change the subject. Little things he remembered now, that at the time didn't mean anything, but in light of everything Meg was now saying…it was possible. More than possible, it was likely.

"You can ask him when he gets here" Meg said casually, standing up straight, with a smile of triumph on her face.

But John never actually made it to the warehouse, the shadow demon did. By some twisted hand of fate, it ended up turning on Meg and he and Sam watched in shock as she was thrown out of the window. If only that had been the end of her though!

The night wasn't over yet, and it would only get more interesting after that. As they returned to their motel room, the second surprise of the night was waiting for them there. As Sam turned on the light, the stranger turned to them and he and Dean recognized the intruder, the rug was swept from under their feet and they stared at the tired, rugged face of John Winchester.

"Dad?" Dean breathed out, coming out of his stupor.

"Hey boys" John said with a smile.

John met Dean halfway and the two men exchanged a long emotional hug, as Sam watched on poignantly. They pulled apart and John looked towards his younger son.

"Hi, Sam"

"Hey, Dad" Sam replied softly. The awkward silence was broken by Dean

"Dad, it was a trap" Dean said apologetically, for the moment forgetting the things Meg had said "I didn't know, I'm sorry"

"It's all right. I thought it might've been" John said nodding his head.

After receiving his sons' voice message, he called Isabel, counting that they'd spoken to her too and she might know a little more. She didn't, not really. No more than he already knew. The boys were in Chicago, they had tracked down the two people from Lawrence who'd been killed, and they were going to charge into that warehouse to find out if it was at all connected to the demon that had killed their mother. She'd said something about a shadow demon, and that someone was summoning it, someone who was taking orders from something higher. She hadn't really shed much more light and the whole thing smelled of trap.

"Were you there?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, I got there just in time to see the girl take the swan dive" It occurred to him that he didn't really know who had set the trap. Whether it had been the girl "She _was_ the bad guy, right?"

"Yes, sir" Sam and Dean said in unison.

"Good. Well, it doesn't surprise me. It's tried to stop me before"

"The demon has?" Sam asked. Finally, the moment for answers was here. He had so many he didn't know where to start.

"It knows I'm close. It knows I'm going to kill it. Not just exorcise it or send it back to hell…actually kill it"

"How?" Dean asked curiously.

"I'm working on that" John said with a smile.

Suddenly all the things Meg had said started rushing around in Dean's mind and he looked at his father unsurely.

"Dad" Dean started "Meg, the girl, she said something…about Isabel"

John looked at Dean intensely "What did she say?"

"Did you know that we left her in Lawrence?" Dean asked, looking at his father closely for any signs that John already knew "She's living with Missouri"

If John knew, his face didn't give it away. But what he said, or rather, didn't say, was practically an admission.

"Dean, what did the girl say?" John asked.

"She said you have been in contact with Isabel since we left her in Lawrence" Dean said bitterly "Is that true?"

John took a deep breath, exhaling slowly as he looked from Sam to Dean.

"I went to Lawrence the day you left that message on my phone Dean" He started, then continued quickly as both Sam and Dean gathered breath to protest "I told her it wasn't safe to go on with you. I asked her to stay in Kansas with Missouri, and I asked her not to tell you I'd been there"

If it wasn't for the relief Dean felt at seeing his father again in one piece after so many months, he would have exploded in a fit of fury. This was not the time however, so he pushed his anger aside, refocusing his rage on the only other person that deserved it but wasn't there at the time, Isabel. She would have some monumental explaining to do when he saw her again.

"Why?" He asked his father.

"Why do you think?" John asked his sons "This is too dangerous. I don't want her involved in this. How did the girl know anyway?"

"She's made contact with Isabel. She said they're friends and that she had planned to use her as the trap first" Sam said, his tone almost as bitter as Dean's, but unlike his older brother, he saw the implications of what Meg had revealed "Dad, is she in danger?"

"I don't think so Sam" John said with a shake of his head "She was probably saying that to rattle you"

"Well, it worked" Sam said.

"It wouldn't' hurt to check up on her" John said "Maybe this girl was lying"

"She knew about you and Isabel" Dean said darkly "She knew about you two being in touch"

John sighed in defeat "She's been keeping me informed about you two"

"_She's_ been keeping you informed?" Dean asked angrily "_We_ would keep you informed if you'd call"

"I'm not here to have this argument with you" John said sternly "You need to talk to your cousin and warn her. Missouri too"

"We should go see her" Sam said, turning to Dean.

"Don't take her with you though" John warned his sons. He didn't need to be a psychic to read Dean's thoughts "You leave her in Kansas. She's safe with Missouri"

"Where are _you_ going?"

"I'm going to hunt this demon"

They didn't have much more time for catching up and trading information. The Daeva had come for them again, and after eluding it for a second time, there was not time for anything other than splitting up and leaving Chicago.

Sam and Dean let their dad go, driving off and stopping at a motel outside the city to lick their wounds and come to terms with everything that had happened. Sam wanted to head south to Kansas immediately. Dean, however, was a little more…disinclined.

"We need find out if what Meg said is true" Sam said "and if it is, we need to warn her"

"You can do that over the phone" Dean said emphasizing 'you' as he sat gingerly on the bed.

"Dean, she might be in danger" Sam insisted.

"Right now the only thing she's in danger of is me!" Dean said angrily "I need a little time to calm down Sam because if I see her right now, I might actually kill her myself"

Sam rolled his eyes "Well, maybe before you murder our only cousin, you could let her tell her side of the story"

"I don't' care what her side of the story is Sam" Dean continued, not understanding why Sam wasn't as upset as he was about this "She's been talking to dad all this time, and she didn't tell us! How dare she lie to us about something like that!"

"Dad asked her to Dean" He didn't want to defend her, because admittedly he was also angry with her. But she did deserve the right to explain herself, and anger or not, they needed to find out about Meg and just how involved they'd become.

"I don't give a damn Sam!" Dean roared "Since when is she on _his_ side? We're the ones who saved her life, we're the ones who took her in. She should be on _our_ side! She owes us more than this"

"She _owes_ us for saving her life?" Sam asked incredulously.

"More than she owes dad" Dean finished, standing up and heading out the door.

He went for a drive to cool off, returning a few hours later. He was more subdued but Sam could tell his older brother was still seething, though trying to appear calm and controlled. Sam watched him closely as Dean got ready for bed.

"Try to get some sleep Sam" He said finally as he turned in bed and pulled the covers over him "We leave for Kansas first thing tomorrow"

XXXXX

Thanks for reading. Please review. Toodles, AT


	7. Birthday Girl

AN: finally they see each other again! Enjoy

XXXXXX

They pulled up outside Missouri's house and sat in the Impala for about ten minutes before Dean finally stopped the engine. As silence settled over the car, Sam turned to his brother, reminding him for the third time that day that they had come to visit Isabel and warn her about Meg, not to confront her about their dad. At least… not until later.

"I know you're still mad at her, but remember what we're here to do" He said gently, though his tone was firm with seriousness.

"I still don't see why we have to come around" Dean said turning from the house to face his brother "We could warn her over the phone"

"Oh please Dean" Sam said tiredly "Like you don't want to _see_ her?"

"Not right now I don't" Dean said shaking his head "She lied to us Sam"

"Because dad asked her to" Sam replied, although the excuse didn't sit well with him either "Look, to be honest with you Dean…I'm a little mad too… at her _and _dad…but apart from needing to warn her and find out if what Meg said in Chicago is true, it's her birthday today, we haven't seen her in almost five months, and we really need to meet this guy Paul"

"So I should just let it go?" Dean asked incredulously.

"Well, yes you should, but I know you're not going to. Listen Dean, if you're going to pick a fight with her, at least wish her a happy birthday first"

"Let's go see the birthday girl" Dean said, faking a smile.

They got out of the car and slowly walked up the steps to Missouri's door, remembering the last time they'd come to see the psychic. How things had changed since! Missouri opened the door before Sam's finger even made contact with the door bell. She had a smile on her face as she looked up at the two Winchester men.

"I was wondering how much longer you were going to sit in that car" She said. She looked from Sam to Dean and her eyes narrowed as his irritation reached her mind "What are you mad at me for, boy?"

"What do you think?" Dean replied tartly, letting the psychic get a clear reading of his less-than-Christian thoughts.

Missouri had the decency to look apologetic "Fair enough" She said "Still, I'm glad your dad's alright"

"Can we see Isabel?" Sam interrupted, before the standoff between Missouri and his brother got even more awkward.

"She's not here' Missouri said "She's babysitting Jenny's kids today. I'm pretty sure she was taking them to the park around the corner from your old house. Do you want to call her?"

"No, that's OK" Sam said with a smile "We want to surprise her"

Missouri looked at both men uncertainly "Speaking of surprises, are you sticking around for a while?"

"Not really" Dean said curtly.

She ignored his hostility and turned to Sam.

"Well, I'm throwing her a surprise party tonight" She said "Think you can make it?"

"Sounds great" Sam said excited.

"Good, then keep her busy, will you? Bring her over at around eight 'o' clock" She turned hard eyes on Dean and steeled her voice in threat "In one piece"

Dean smirked at the psychic "I'm not making any promises"

"She's been dying to see you both, you know that?" Missouri said, trying to thaw Dean's icy demeanor. He didn't even blink, and she decided to just let it go "I'll tell Paul you two will be bringing her around"

"Hey Missouri, about this guy Paul" Sam started unsurely "Is he…."

"Of course he's a good guy" Missouri said with a smile, before Sam even had the chance to ask "Think I'd let her go out with some scumbag?

They drove up to the park in silence, again sitting in the car before stepping out. Just like Missouri had said, Isabel was there with Jenny's kids, Richie and Sarry. They were at the playground. Sarry was playing with another girl near the slide, while Isabel had Richie in the baby swing, and was pushing him gently as the baby giggled with glee at the whole adrenaline-rush experience, his face a mixture of fear and euphoria. He stuck out his hands in front of him as if reaching for an object invisible to everyone but him. He wanted to go higher. Isabel laughed and complied, pushing the toddler slightly firmer to give him more height and speed. Richie squealed in delight.

The only thing Sam wanted to do right now was rush out of the car and run to her. But Dean was just sitting there, watching her quietly. He turned to his brother expectantly and realized he was fighting the urge too.

Dean had wanted to hold on to the anger he felt at being betrayed by his father and cousin, but seeing his cousin again, he knew if he didn't take a moment it would turn out like his reunion with his dad in Chicago. After months of being away from his dad, he'd been too glad to see him again to stay mad, and feelings of joy and relief had ultimately overwhelmed any anger he may have felt. That would not happen today.

Sam rolled his eyes and stepped out of the car, walking towards Isabel without looking back. He smiled slightly as he heard Dean step out and slam the door shortly afterwards. After a few strides, Dean was walking by his side as they approached their cousin.

She had her back to them, and Sam took the opportunity to sneak behind her and place his palms over her eyes.

"Surprise" He whispered in her ear.

She only had time to gasp before she recognized the voice and turned around in a flash, her face breaking out into a radiant smile. Her scream was one of pure happiness.

"Oh my God!" She shrieked in excitement as she jumped to hug Sam, his arms clasping firmly around her as he pulled her to him "I was hoping you guys would come visit!"

"As if we wouldn't" Sam said with a smile as he kissed the top of her head "Happy birthday Bel"

She let go of him and headed for Dean, wrapping her arms around him tightly "God, I've missed you so much" She said. She pulled quickly away when she realized her cousin was not returning her hug. In fact, he had hardly moved. She looked up at him in confusion "Wow… frosty"

Sam shot Dean a warning stare, and she saw it.

"Happy birthday" Dean said impassively.

"You're mad at me" Isabel said, looking from Dean to Sam as if asking for confirmation that her statement was true.

"Let me tell you why" Dean started sarcastically.

"Not here" Sam interrupted. He looked around the playground full of laughing children "This isn't the place"

"I've got to take the kids back in about half an hour" She said, her excitement had returned though a trace of a frown still marred her smiling face "We can talk after, maybe get some coffee?"

"Sure" Sam said returning her smile.

They decided to walk back to Jenny's place, as it was only around the corner. Dean stood behind for a moment looking around the children's playground as vague memories crossed his mind. He remembered his mother taking him there, but the memories were too hazy now. It had been too long ago. He was startled by a tugging of his jacket, and he looked down to find Sarry looking up at him with a pleading pout.

"What is it, darling?" He asked her gently.

"Can you carry me? Isabel said you would carry me" The little girl said tentatively as she raised her arms "Please?"

"Don't want to walk huh?" He said smiling as he squatted down patted his back "I'll give you a piggy back ride, come on, hop on"

Sarry wrapped her arms around his shoulders and her legs around his back, giggling in excitement as Dean stood up. He walked up to where Isabel was securing Richie to the stroller, as Sam stood next to her, holding on to toys and diaper bags and juice bottles. She looked up as Dean approached them.

"OK, lets head back home" She said, pushing the stroller out onto the foot path as they made their way to their childhood home.

Jenny had just arrived home as they reached the house. The young mother smiled warmly as she greeted the two Winchester men. She offered them coffee, but Isabel declined, saying her cousins had just arrived in Lawrence and they needed some time to catch up.

"Besides" Isabel said with a nod towards Dean "This one's mad at me and I don't think whatever he's going to say or do to me will be fit for children to witness"

Jenny laughed at her theatrics "Well, go easy on her" She said to an unamused Dean "I don't have the time to look for another babysitter, and the kids are very attached to her"

"Thanks for trying Jen, but I don't think I'm getting off that easily" Isabel said dryly to Jenny, as she turned towards the front door "I feel a storm's a-brewin"

"Does Paul know he doesn't need to pick you up?" Jenny asked as she walked them out.

"Missouri's already told him" Isabel said.

"OK, well, thanks for today Isabel" Jenny said.

"Don't even" Isabel said behind her back as she walked out the door "You know I love it"

"Bye Jenny" Sam said walking out with Isabel.

She managed to grab the sleeve of Dean's jacket before he joined his brother and cousin. Dean turned to her questioningly, but Jenny just pointed to her watch and mouthed eight 'o' clock. He nodded and waved as she closed the door behind her.

He joined Sam and Isabel, choosing to walk next to his brother rather than his cousin. He remained quiet for the rest of the walk up to the car, listening quietly as Isabel asked Sam questions about their hunts. Sam asked Isabel questions about her job, Missouri, settling in Kansas and Paul.

They reached the car, and they jumped in, Isabel squealing in delight as she ran her hands over the leather upholstery.

"Oh, I've missed this car! Almost as much as I've missed you two" She said, her eyes caught on a piece of colored fabric and she grabbed it as she recognized her silk scarf "My scarf!"

Sam turned around in the passenger seat and smiled goofily at her "I didn't wear it once" He said.

She laughed and wrapped it around her neck, sniffing it "It smells like leather"

They drove to a diner near Missouri's place and walked in, looking around. It was half empty, being too early for dinner and too late for lunch. Isabel turned to look up at both her cousins.

"Do you want to go somewhere more private?" She asked them.

"No" Sam said quickly, and rather forcefully "This is perfect"

"You see, Isabel" Dean started cynically "Sam here, doesn't want me to make a scene"

He walked ahead and took a seat in the farthest booth from the door. Sam and Isabel followed him and both sat on the seat across from him. Isabel looked around nervously; the tables immediately around them were empty and she knew that Dean had chosen that particular booth for that particular reason. They sat in silence for a moment.

"Are you going to tell me why you're mad at me Dean?" She asked finally, not being able to take his cold silence "Because the suspense is just killing me"

"We met up with our dad in Chicago" Dean said casually as he leaned back and watched her closely for her reaction.

"No way, really?" She asked in amazement.

"Yes way" Dean continued sardonically before his expression darkened and he narrowed his eyes at her "Got anything to say?"

She swallowed and looked from Dean to Sam, to Dean again "No" she said softly shaking her head.

"I'm going to ask you again" Dean said "Think about how you want to answer me. Isabel, is there anything you want to say to us?"

"You already know, don't you?" She asked, knowing full well he was referring to her contact with John in the last few months and her conscious effort to keep it from them.

"That's not an answer" He replied calmly, though his clenched jaw told her to tread carefully "But yes, we know"

"I'm sorry" Saying the first thought that came to mind. She truly was.

Dean crossed his arms on the table and leaned forward "Sorry?" He hissed angrily "That's it? You're sorry?"

She wished she'd chosen a more public place. She wished the diner was busier. Most of all, she wished Sam hadn't sat next to her on the booth, effectively blocking her only exit. She turned to her younger cousin and saw a fraction of Dean's anger and accusation mirrored on his face, realizing he'd sat there specifically for that purpose. Trapped and outnumbered. Great, she thought to herself, happy birthday to me!

XXXXXXXX

AN: Thankyou guys for your patience. I hope you enjoyed.

Toodles AT


	8. The Butterfly Effect

AN: I'm posting a longish chapter in order to make up for my delay. Also thought I'd let you know that the story will soon take a supernatural turn. I just wanted the three to reunite, make up and catch up before that happened. Please R&R. Toodles, AT.

XXXXX

Lawrence, Kansas

He was shouting. Still. He'd been shouting for the last half hour and she'd been gracious enough to let him blow off steam without interrupting him. Her patience was fast waning though, and she wondered how much longer she would tolerate Dean's verbal abuse before she exploded in a similar fashion herself. Not too much longer, she told herself.

People stared, the manager poked his head of from the back room, and even the waitress eyed them warily. Well, she eyed Dean warily; she eyed Isabel with sympathy and concern. Sam was practically nonexistent, and Isabel tried not to let that bother her. If Sam wasn't trying to placate Dean and stop him from making an even bigger scene, then he was obviously just as upset with her as her older cousin.

Every now and then, in between his insults and accusations, she would manage to get an "I'm sorry" in. It only made him angrier and he would pound his fist on the counter in front of him, causing their cups of coffee and teaspoons to rattle, before resuming his tirade, starting with how much more than a 'sorry' it would take for him to forgive her.

It was when he started to lay all the blame on her and making her feel like she'd committed a horrible crime against all humanity that she finally had enough. It had been months since she'd seen her cousins and this was not how she'd wanted their reunion to go.

"Are you going to let me say anything?" She asked, her calm tone counteracting his frantic one "Do you want to know exactly what happened?"

"Shut up Isabel!" Dean snarled fiercely at her "I know what happened. You lied to us, that's what happened!"

"I didn't lie to you, Dean"

"Not telling the truth is the same as lying" He continued "Don't think you're getting out of this on a technicality"

"Why am _I_ the one on trial here?" She snapped back "I'll bet you didn't react like this with your dad"

"I'm not letting you change the subject" He said "So don't even try"

"He was the one who asked me to lie!" She protested loudly as her eyes watered. She figured Dean hadn't been able to take his anger out on his dad, so she'd suddenly become the convenient scapegoat. It just wasn't fair. "You think I _wanted_ to stay here in Kansas, Dean? You don't think I wanted to go with you?"

"Then why didn't you?" His voice had lost all heat now.

"Because not everything is black and white, Dean" She said, tired of defending herself and a man who wasn't even there "John asked me to do what was right, and I knew what that was. This _was_ the right move for me. For all of us. I can see that now"

"Do you have any idea what we went through trying to find our dad Isabel?" He asked her, his own question incensing him and once again his voice rose in sound, pitch and anger "We were worried to death, searching all over the country, and all along here you are, talking to him like you're great pals"

"We only spoke a handful of times, Dean" She explained "And they were hardly friendly conversations"

"You knew he was OK!" He threw back "That's all you had to say. That's all I needed to hear"

"I'm sorry Dean. I'm sorry Sam" She tried again, turning briefly to Sam, who was still watching the argument in silence "How many times do you want me to say it?"

Dean shook his head at her "How could you?" He asked her, again pounding his fist on the bench for dramatic effect. She didn't even flinch anymore "How could you keep something like that from us?"

"What about you?" She yelled back, tired of being his punching bag "You were dying in Nebraska and you weren't even going to tell me! How could _you_?"

He was speechless for a moment, and he turned to his brother knowing Sam had told her what happened, against his very explicit wishes.

"You told her?"

"She deserved to know" Sam said softly, without apology.

"I told you not to tell her!"

"Ironic isn't it?" Isabel asked with a rueful smile "You're angry at Sam for telling the truth and you're angry at me for not. So I take it lying is OK, but only if it serves you?"

"Don't do this, don't talk circles around me" He warned, turning back to her again "It's not the same"

"If your dad was dying I would have told you" She said "If I were dying I would have told you. So you're right, it's not the same"

"I didn't want you to worry you unnecessarily"

"Unnecessarily?" She asked in disbelief "Dean, you almost died!"

"I didn't"

"You were dying, Dean!" She continued, her eyes watering as she recollected Sam telling her how close Dean had actually come to death, and not from his so-called 'cold' "How much of what goes on in your hunts do you actually tell me? You know what makes me worry, Dean? All the stuff I _don't_ know, all the stuff you guys _don't_ tell me. That's what really makes me _worry_"

"I'm sorry" Dean said, subdued by her heartfelt declaration. It was time for him to be honest too "I didn't know how to tell you"

She let out a breath and looked from Dean to Sam, somewhat satisfied that the worst was over and maybe they could now talk like civilized adults.

"Look, guys" She said at length "Your dad, together with Missouri, spoke to me the last night you were here in Lawrence. He asked me not to tell you and I promised him I wouldn't"

"Was he here the day we left?"

"Yes" She said "He told me about the demon he was hunting, the demon that killed your mom. He told me why he didn't take me in when my parents died, he told me he knew about what happened to me in Illinois with the…" she struggled to get those words out and decided they didn't need to be said anyway. Her cousins knew what and who she was referring to "He told me he knew I was on the road with you and that Lawrence had to be my exit….what else do you want to know?"

There really was nothing else to know. Everything she just said they'd either heard from their dad in Chicago or figured out for themselves. John and Missouri had asked Isabel to stay in Kansas and let Sam and Dean go on without her. It really was as simple as that. Dean thought back to all the hunts they'd been involved in the recent months, and felt a small measure of relief to think that Isabel had not been involved in any of them. Especially Chicago.

As much as he wanted to move on and let this all go, there was still the matter of Meg. He noticed Sam was looking at him intently. He was thinking the same thing. Enough catching up, time to get down to business.

"Have you made any friends here?" Dean asked her finally.

She was taken aback by the question "Apart from Paul?"

"Yes, apart from Paul"

"Well…Jenny and the kids obviously... I get along really well with Paul's sister and her husband" She continued "His brother not so much, but he's tolerable"

"Anyone from work?" Dean pushed.

"Uh, yeah…I guess" She said unsurely, wondering where this line of questioning was going, because she was pretty sure he wasn't enquiring out of interest for her sociability "Margaret, she runs the spa, she's Missouri's client as well, so for a boss she's pretty laid-back. Jacqui is one of my regular clients, a retired professional ice-skater. She's an instructor at the local rink now, comes every week for a full body massage. There's Megan, she's pretty cool. She's about my age, so sometimes we go out on weekends…" She stopped when she noticed the look Sam and Dean had just shared "what?"

"Megan?" Sam asked.

"Yeah…" She replied slowly "well, she prefers Meg"

"Where is she now?" Dean asked and she turned to him with a frown "Can we meet her?"

The frown disappeared and an impish smile took its place on her face.

"You want me to set you up?" She asked "She's pretty hot"

But Dean didn't smile back and his repeated question became more insistent.

"Is she here?" He asked again and her smile faltered.

"Actually, no, she's not" She said "She went to Chicago a couple of weeks ago…said she had a family thing to take care of…why?" She asked as she suddenly felt a shiver down her spine. She wondered if living with Missouri had given her a sort of sixth sense for knowing when something wasn't quite right "OK…what's going on here? What are you not telling me?"

Isabel listened quietly and with a growing feeling of dread as Sam and Dean told her about Meg, not leaving a single detail out; from Sam meeting her for the first time on the side of the road in Indiana, to using them to set a trap for their dad, to her demise in Chicago.

"I don't know what to say" Isabel said blankly afterwards "I mean, she's the bad guy yeah, but she was my friend too"

"No Bel" Sam said, looking at her seriously "Trust me, she wasn't"

"It makes sense though" She continued, thinking back on all her conversations with Meg "She would never come to Missouri's house. She asked about you both, all the time, asked to see pictures. I thought she was just interested…you know…in a different way. The fact that she was in Chicago, and I haven't heard from her since the day you called me"

"The day she died" Dean added.

"I believe you" She said solemnly "They can't all be coincidences. We know better than that, don't we?"

"Isabel" Sam started "I think you should be a little more careful from now on, about anyone you meet, anyone you talk to"

"You want me to add paranoia to my list of psychological problems?" She asked.

"This isn't a joke, Bel" He pressed "I think you might be in more danger than even Missouri realizes. If this demon didn't know about you before, he does now, and I don't think that you not being on the road with us anymore is really the definitive solution"

"I've built myself a new life here" She said "You're not suggesting I drop everything and jump in that car with you, are you?"

"No, of course not" Sam said, though from Dean's expression, he gathered his brother thought the suggestion not at all absurd "I'm just saying that Missouri was right, but you are still in danger, even if you're not with us and you should be careful. That's all"

"It wouldn't just come after me for no reason" She said "It would only do that if it needed to set a trap, or make a trade or something. Otherwise, it would gain nothing by killing me"

"It had nothing to gain by killing Jessica" Sam said, freezing the conversation instantly.

"Maybe it did" Isabel said.

Sam turned to her slowly "Like what?"

She averted her eyes from his scrutinizing gaze and let her instinct guide her words, rather than her brain.

"You've heard of the butterfly effect?" She asked aloud, but her eyes were still fixed on the cold coffee in front of her.

"The Ashton Kutcher movie?" Dean asked.

She raised her eyes to him, giving him a strange look.

"No" she said slowly, unsure if he was playing with her or not "The butterfly effect as in…a butterfly flapping its wings can cause a hurricane halfway across the world"

"Yeah" Sam said with a nod "Chaos Theory"

"Chaos theory?" Dean asked, looking from Isabel to his brother.

"It's a scientific theory" Sam explained "It basically proposes that something which may seem insignificant or trivial can ultimately have major effects"

"That's right" Isabel said "Nothing is random and there are no coincidences. Everything that is happening now is happening for a reason. Cause and effect"

"OK, thanks for the philosophy lesson" Dean said "But, so what?"

"What if it's all connected, Dean. Your mom, my parents, Meg, my move to Kansas, you both turning up at my doorstep six months ago after eight years of not even speaking to each other. What if all of it is somehow connected? What if it had nothing to do with chance?"

"Are you saying someone may have planned it?" Dean asked confused.

"No, I'm not saying someone planned it" She continued "I'm just wondering how much of it was just chance and how much of what's happening now is a direct result of choices we've made, and how do we know which choices will have which consequences?"

"There's no way of knowing that Bel" Sam said with a shake of his head "That's what fate is?"

"I think we have more power than that, Sam"

"I think you're making it out to be more complicated that it really is" Dean pitched in.

"Think about it guys" Isabel persisted "What has brought us here? What if your dad had never started hunting? What if Sam had never left for college? What if I'd gone to live with you and your dad when my parents died? What if Sam had never had that dream about me and you'd never come to see me in Illinois?"

"Then you'd be dead" Dean pointed out, always unnerved to recall the demon that had almost killed his cousin.

"Would I?" She asked "If it hadn't been for you I'd have never gone into that police station. That demon wouldn't have even known I'd existed"

"Are you saying what happened to you was our fault?" Sam's tone was soft, and his expression wounded. She had just voiced aloud what his conscience relentlessly wondered.

"I'm most certainly _not_ saying that" She said sharply "If it hadn't been for you and your dream all those other girls he took would be dead now. I would have never gone on a road trip with you. I would never have met Missouri and moved to Kansas"

"You would have never been in danger either" Sam persisted.

"I would have never met Paul. We would have never made up with you and Dean" She said with an edge of determination "Don't _ever_ think that I wish you hadn't come back into my life"

"So it was meant to happen?" Dean asked.

"What if nothing is _meant_ to happen?" She asked again "What if _we_ make things happen?"

"You're talking about a lot of what if's here" Dean said.

"I know, and I know what if's are a waste of time, but I still wonder" She said "Was your mom's death the butterfly flapping its wings?"

"All good questions, but completely irrelevant right now. No one's got the answer and there's not really much we can do about all these theories anyway" Dean said, tired of such an involved conversation.

"You're right, we can't" Isabel said glancing at her watch "It's almost eight, we should get back to Missouri's. I don't want to miss my party"

Sam and Dean looked at each other in surprise.

"You know about the party?" Sam asked her as he stepped out of the booth.

"Missouri may be a good liar, but Paul?" She said to Sam with a snort "Just like you, couldn't lie to save his life"

"I'm sure you balance each other out then" Dean added bitingly.

She looked from him to Sam, then turned to Dean again, unrattled by his sharp remark.

"Right back at you" She said, just as maliciously.

"OK, you know what?" Dean said as they followed Sam towards the exit "I don't think we're OK"

"Really? Because…I'm OK Dean" She said angrily "I think you're the one with the problem!"

Suddenly Sam stopped in his tracks and turned sharply, facing Dean and Isabel and halting hem also. They looked at him curiously.

"That's it! I can't take it anymore" He said sternly, as if he were a fed-up father reprimanding his two wayward children "I want you both to stop this. You've apologized to each other already. Can't you just let it go? We haven't seen each other in months!"

"Apologies aren't really magic words Sam" Isabel said "They don't solve _everything_"

"Listen to me, I don't care if you fight, I really don't" Sam said heatedly as he stared down his brother and cousin "You want to tear each other apart? Fine, whatever gets you off. Just don't do it when I'm around OK? I'm getting really sick of it"

With that he stormed out of the diner. Dean and Isabel watched him silently through the glass door as he moved to stand at the passenger door of the Impala.

"I hate it when he has a point" Dean said finally breaking the silence.

"Right back at you" Isabel said.

They looked at each other for a moment before breaking out in laughter.

"I missed you, you know?" He said gently to her "Even when I was so pissed at you that I swear I could have strangled you with my bare hands…I still missed you"

"That's sweet. Disturbing…but sweet" She said placing a hand gently on his arm "I missed you too. A lot"

"Lets go" He said smiling at her as he opened the door "Or Missouri's going to kick my ass"

"I bet you she could too!" Isabel said stepping out.

Sam seemed more at ease on the drive back to Missouri's, as the tension between them dissipated again. He hadn't been all that upset about the arguing. Arguing and bickering was inevitable between Dean and Isabel, and they seemed to enjoy a good fight as much as a normal person would enjoy a heart-to-heart conversation. Still, he thought to himself, the only reason their fights never really escalated beyond yelling and name-calling was because he was usually there, present to pacify both parties before they said or did anything they would later regret or be unable to take back.

Usually an interruption with a comment such as the one he'd just delivered would suffice to placate his stubborn brother and equally willful cousin. Isabel and Dean would look at each other guiltily and make up as they realized their argument would take them nowhere. As much as it irritated Sam to play mediator, he shuddered to think of the day when he wouldn't be there to act as the peacekeeper.

No, he wasn't worried about that. What was bothering him now, was the conversation they'd just had. Specifically Isabel's suggestion that everything that had happened was more connected than they believed. Could it possibly be true?


	9. Surprise!

AN: I apologize again for the delay. Here you go guys. Toodles AT

XXXXX

"Surprise!"

Isabel jumped back startled, clutching her chest dramatically and letting out a scream of shock and unexpected delight as she entered Missouri's house with her cousins. All the while, she smiled and shook her head as if annoyed with herself that she'd been duped. Apart from Sam and Dean, who knew she was faking her surprise, only Missouri appeared to have realized that Isabel's reaction was less than genuine. Dean watched as across the room, the psychic slowly turned to the man standing on her right, openly glaring at him. As if he could feel her accusing eyes on him, he turned to her sheepishly, an apologetic and guilty expression on his face.

"You just couldn't keep your big mouth shut, could you?" Missouri asked him in a scolding tone.

"She guessed!" He replied defensively.

That must be Paul, Dean thought to himself. He wasn't sure what kind of guy he was expecting his cousin to be dating, but this wasn't it. For starters, he was older than his Isabel. Not much older, but he had to be at least thirty, if not thirty five. He wasn't a small or large man; built slight, like Sam, but approximately Dean's height. His dark brown hair was impeccably cut and combed, his face clean shaven. The pristine sky-blue shirt he was wearing with his equally immaculate black suit pants seemed to emphasize his piercing blue eyes. He stood slightly awkward, his shoulders hunched and his hands in his pockets. He shifted uncomfortably on his feet and Dean guessed he was probably not a huge fan of social events such as these. He wasn't by any means unattractive, but from what he'd learnt about Isabel in the weeks she'd spent with him and Sam, this guy was a far cry form her usual 'pretty boy with a naughty streak' penchant.

Still, he thought, he hadn't really known Isabel long enough to have formed a definitive opinion on her 'type', and her taste in men might not be centered on appearance alone. She'd once said she liked smart guys, and this guy, Dean thought, definitely had a nerdy bookworm aura about him. How someone as serious and conservative looking as this man ended up with his spirited and flighty cousin was surely a mystery. He figured he probably shouldn't let his mind form a judgment yet, at least not until he had a chance to talk to him.

He looked to Sam and his younger brother appeared lost in similar thoughts. Sam gestured to Dean with a nod towards Missouri and who he'd obviously also deduced to be Paul, silently suggesting that they go over and introduced themselves.

As they slowly made their way across the room, Isabel materialized unexpectedly in front of them. She'd been greeting a couple by the door whilst holding a small child in her arms only a moment earlier, and Dean wondered how the hell she'd managed to move so fast.

"Why don't I introduce you?" She said cheerily, though her tone held an almost indiscernible trace of warning.

"It's OK" Dean said sweetly, now knowing she'd moved faster than the speed of light in order to stop him and Sam from approaching her boyfriend alone "We can introduce ourselves, go back to your party"

Her stare was sharp "Yeah, nice try"

She motioned with her hand for them to follow her as she made her way towards the man. He was watching her as she approached him, and Dean finally saw what had captured Isabel's heart. As Paul watched his girlfriend walk towards him, a smile broke out over his face, making his dimples deepen on his cheeks. His eyes softened, giving him a boyish charm that belied his true age. It was written all over his face. He was head over heels in love with her. Poor bastard! Dean thought sadly, he was in for a bumpy ride.

Before they reached him, Isabel turned to them again and this time, the warning in her eyes, voice and words, was unmistakable.

"Be nice" She said to both her cousins. Her eyes returned to Dean and she looked up at him with a mixture of threat and pleading "Please"

They nodded in agreement and her suspicious gaze lingered on Dean for a moment, before she also nodded, seemingly satisfied with their promise to behave.

She turned back to the man now in front of her and threw her arms around him as he bent his head to kiss her affectionately. She would have loved to lose herself in that moment indefinitely, but behind her she could already hear an impatient cough. She couldn't tell if it was Sam's or Dean's. She pulled away from Paul and looked into his eyes, and for a moment everyone in the room seemed to vanish.

"Happy birthday honey" He said softly, with a smile she'd come to know meant he wished more than anything that they were alone right now.

"Thank you baby" She said breathlessly and kissed him again as once more his hands pulled her to him. To her surprise, it was actually Missouri who interrupted them this time.

"Maybe you can save that for later" Missouri said dryly "There are children in the room"

"Speaking of children" Isabel said with a smile, turning around in Paul's arms as she faced Sam and Dean "These are my cousins"

"It's your birthday, so I'm going to let that go" Dean said as he gave her a withering look.

She laughed and stuck out her tongue at him, disentangling herself from Paul as she moved to quickly stand between her two cousins. She placed an arm around each of them.

"Paul, this is Dean" She said with a nod to her older cousin "And this one is Sam" She repeated the action and turned back to Paul "Boys…this is Paul"

The men shook hands cordially, and Paul looked a little nervous as Isabel's cousins studied him silently. He felt like he was under a microscope, and justly so. Meeting Isabel's cousins, her only remaining family, was akin to meeting her parents and no less intimidating.

"Wow, the infamous Sam and Dean Winchester!" Paul said, looking from one man to the other "I've heard a lot about you"

"Told you I wasn't making them up" Isabel said jokingly.

"Isabel speaks of you all the time" Paul said, going along with the teasing vibe "Most of it good"

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you Paul" Sam said warmly.

"Likewise" Paul said, now looking more comfortable "You know, Isabel's told me what you two do. I think it's fascinating!"

Dean's smile disappeared instantly and he looked down at his cousin.

"She told you?" He asked unsurely.

"It's OK" Paul said quickly, sensing Dean's displeasure of the revelation "My girlfriend lives with a psychic. I've learnt to be open minded"

Isabel looked up at her older cousin.

"Paul is a history professor at the University of Kansas, here in Lawrence. He's done a lot of research and written lots of papers on American folklore and mythology"

Sam's eyebrows spiked in interest and Paul saw his opening with Isabel's younger cousin. Excitedly, he continued.

"I teach a module on urban legends and myths" He said "I'd love to talk to you about it and the things you've investigated"

Dean raised an eyebrow at Isabel and continued to watch his brother and Isabel's boyfriend hit it off. She grabbed his arm and subtly pulled him away, letting Sam and Paul carry on with their conversation.

"I should mingle" Isabel said after they'd walked off.

"Yeah, go on" Dean said to her, looking around the room "Where'd Missouri go?"

"One bet" Isabel said "Kitchen"

"I need to talk to her" Dean said "I'll be back"

"Is this about your dad and what happened in Chicago?"

"Yeah" he said uncomfortable with discussing this in a room full of people "She might be able to shed some light, and even if she's not, she needs to know what happened up there"

He made his way toward the kitchen, leaving Isabel to entertain her friends. She looked around the room. Jenny with her new boyfriend and her kids. Paul's sister, her husband and their baby. Jacqui and a couple of the girls from work. Missouri, Paul, her cousins. She smiled to herself. She hadn't felt less alone in years.

The hours went by like a flash. In between opening presents, blowing her candles, introducing Tracy and Patricia from work to her cousins at Dean's persistent request, she barely had time to catch her breath.

It was almost midnight when people started leaving, and she noted with a pinch of worry that Tracy was giving her number to Dean. Great! She thought dryly, this is going to cost me. She walked back to the lounge room and saw Sam and Paul still chatting animatedly. She let out a snort of amusement. Finally Sam had found someone just as bookish as himself, and finally Paul had found someone just as interested in his fables and folk stories as himself.

"Looks like you have some competition" Dean said, coming up behind her. He too was watching Sam and Paul with an amused expression on his face.

"Too bad for Sam, I'm not the sharing kind" She said.

"If he wasn't your cousin I'd suggest a three-way" He said casually.

She frowned for a second as if considering his idea seriously, before shaking her head.

"I don't' think Paul would be up for it" She said, equally casual.

He turned to her with a disturbed look "I was kidding, Bel"

"Duh" She said looking at him, slightly disturbed herself that he'd thought she'd been serious "Me too, dumbass"

"Your friends are nice" He said then, changing the subject completely.

"Yeah, I saw you and Tracy hitting it off" She said "Dean, can I please ask you not to sleep with my friends? I don't have many and I'd like to keep the ones I have"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know what it means. I can see it now, she gets attached, you leave, you never call her again and next thing I know she's coming to me asking me why you haven't called her and when will you be back in town, and blah blah blah"

"Wow, you've got a vivid imagination" He said "She just gave me her number, that's it!"

"Yeah right"

"You don't know if" He started.

"Oh, I know" She said "I know your kind Dean, I've been with your kind. You're nothing but trouble"

"Is that why you ended up with a Sam clone?" He asked with a smirk towards Sam and Paul.

She followed his gaze and sighed deeply.

"I hadn't realized how alike they are until right now" She said with a shake of her head "If I wasn't in love with him I'd be really freaked out"

He tilted his head as he regarded her with a smile "In love, huh?"

She blushed and he couldn't believe it. It had to be the first time ever he'd seen his cousin blush like a shy schoolgirl. It was so cute he almost pinched her cheeks. She smiled and nodded her head timidly.

"Yeah" She said quietly "In love"

The moment was interrupted by the man in question.

"Ready for your present honey?"

She turned to Paul with a brilliant smile "I am"

He reached into the pocket of his pants and pulled out a small box, handing it to her as he watched her expectantly. With shaking fingers she pulled the ribbon keeping the box together and pulled the lid off, peeking inside with a frown as she pulled out not a ring, but a key. She raised confused eyes to him.

"It's a key to my place" He said.

Her frown deepened "I already have a key to your place"

"Let me rephrase that" He said "It's they key to our new place"

"Come again?"

"Remember that cute little house we saw for sale near campus a while ago? I sold my apartment and bought it" He said still watching her with gleaming eyes "What do you say? Want to move in with me?"

"Oh my God" She breathed out "Are you serious?"

"I'm serious Bel" He said "_Our _house"

"How long have you been planning this?" She asked, amazed he'd successfully been able to keep something this big from her.

"Three weeks" He said proudly.

"And you couldn't keep the surprise party a secret?" Missouri piped in.

"Can we let that go already?" Paul snapped back "What do you say, Bel?"

She looked at Missouri, feeling like she was a child asking her mother for permission. It had been great living with her, but it would be even greater to live with Paul. She looked at her cousins too. They were watching her quietly, obviously trying really hard to let her make her decision. She detected a small smile on Sam's face, and even as she turned to Dean she saw him give her an approving nod. She was about to say she wasn't really looking for their blessing, but that would have been a lie. She kind of was. In a way, Missouri and her cousins were the closest thing to an immediate family she had, and there was nothing wrong with seeking their approval, even if she was old enough to make her own choices.

"OK" She said finally, squealing in delight "Yes, let's do it!"

Paul picked her up and swung her around, for a moment forgetting he was a serious, conservative grown man and losing himself in Isabel's enthusiasm and youthful exuberance.

"I moved in today" He said finally setting her on her feet again "You can move in as soon as you want"

"Like, tomorrow?" She asked.

"Perfect"

She had wanted to go home with him that night, and if Sam and Dean hadn't been there visiting her, she would have. But she hadn't seen her cousins for months, and after they left, she wouldn't see them again for God knew how long! After moving in with Paul, she would see him everyday. He looked disappointed when she told him she would spend the night catching up with Sam and Dean, but he tried to hide it, not so much for her benefit, but at Dean's challenging look when he gathered breath to protest.

"You can give me my other present tomorrow night" She whispered suggestively to him.

After that, he left, promising to come around the next day to help her move her stuff over to their new place. Not that there was much to move anyway. She hadn't really bought much in terms of home wares whilst at Missouri's.

She sat with her cousins and Missouri, the older psychic saying they would clean up in the morning. That suited everyone fine. Dean and Sam started discussing when they should head out again, deciding that early the next day would be the best.

"No, you can't leave!" Isabel protested "You only just got here, plus…you've gotta help me move"

"Isabel"

"Oh, come on, stay one more day" She begged "We can hang out tomorrow, go out for dinner, a few drinks. You know, I can drink now!"

"On your medication?" Sam asked.

"I'm not on it anymore" She said "I've been off it for almost two months"

"That's good" Sam said smiling "That's great actually"

"Yeah, I still take a sleeping pill every now and then at night" She said more seriously now "If the day's been particularly… trying"

"What about you two?" Missouri asked looking at both Winchester men "How are you two doing?"

"Better now" Sam said "That we found our dad"

"Although it seems we have more questions than when we started" Dean added "This thing with Meg in Chicago gave us a wake up call"

"This demon, whatever or whoever it is, knows more about us than we realized" Sam said "And I don't like it that it's been this close to Isabel"

"Without you even sensing it" Dean said this to Missouri.

Missouri nodded pensively. Yes, it was strange that she hadn't sensed anything. Though, to her credit, she'd never met Meg, and only heard vague details about her party nights with Isabel.

"It is unsettling I admit" She said finally as she turned to Isabel "We just have to be a little more careful, that's all. I don't sense any danger though. I never did"

"She might not have been in danger" Sam said "Meg might have just said that to rattle us, she might have been playing with us. Letting us know that she could get close if she wanted, that even Isabel wasn't safe. It's still better to be safe than sorry"

"Which brings us to your birthday present" Dean said walking over to the kitchen where he'd left his duffel bag and bringing it back. He pulled out a large wooden box and held it out for her.

She took it and examined it closely. It was beautiful, about as big as a shoebox. It was plain, but the cedar wood had been polished to perfection and she could smell the earthiness of it. It smelled like a forest after the rain. She placed it across her lap and opened it slowly, staring at the contents for a moment before pulling them out one by one.

The first thing she pulled out was a crucifix and rosary beads, which she regarded with a frown. She hadn't been to a church since her parents' funeral almost nine years ago, unless she counted the church where Lori Sorensen's father preached in Iowa. But her visit there had been entirely unmotivated by desire for religious enlightenment, but rather part of her cousins' investigation into the hook man myth. She set the cross and beads next to her on the couch and next pulled out a small clear glass bottle with a cork stopper on it. She shook it and looked up at her cousins questioningly.

"Please tell me this is vodka" She said.

"It's holy water" Sam said sitting next to her and grabbing the bottle from her hands "It's not just used for baptisms"

"So this is an exorcism start-up kit?" She asked "Because I've seen the movie and let me tell you… not my cup of tea"

"It's not for exorcisms either" Dean said "Although you could do one with this stuff. Keep going, there's more stuff in there"

She returned her attention to the box and pulled out a couple of candles and a small blue silk sac containing what she could only assume were herbs of some sort. She looked up at her cousins again, not knowing what she was looking at.

"It's sage and bergamot flowers" Sam explained. He reached in the box and pulled out a couple of small glass vials "these are oils…dragon's blood, myrrh"

"Aromatherapy, I know" She said nodding "I work in a health spa. I use essential oils all the time"

"These are pure" Sam said "These are as pure as you can get. You can't buy them at shops"

'Why am I getting the feeling you didn't give me these to make the house smell nice or for medicinal purposes"

"All these oils and herbs are used in protection spells" Sam continued "Protection from evil"

"Is this a letter opener?" She asked pulling out a thin metal object.

"It's a dagger" Dean said "Pure iron"

"Wow" She said "I was kind of hoping for earrings or a necklace"

"Funny you should mention that" Sam said as he reached in the box and pulled out a long chain with a pendant on the end.

She picked it up from his open palm and regarded it with interest, fascinated by the symbols engraved on the large round shiny surface. The edge had been set with stones, but she couldn't identify them.

"Oh my God" She said "This is beautiful. What is it? What do these mean?"

"This is the 6th pentacle of Mars from the Key of Solomon" She looked at him blankly "It comes from an ancient book on magic, supposedly written by King Solomon. That symbol is from the book. This is an amulet for protection against evil. Spirits, demons…all the bad stuff"

"It's made out of pewter" Dean added "And the stones around the pendant are black onyx and tiger's eye. Both protective"

"Yes, I'm getting the common theme here" Isabel said "I'm expecting a crossbow and a wooden spike as well. Some mace, perhaps? A taser gun?"

"Again, funny you should mention it" Sam said gesturing to the box again "Check out the pouch"

She did. There was one more item in the box and as she lifted the small black velvet pouch she immediately knew what was in it and she hesitated to open it. She took a deep breath and slowly pulled out a small revolver. If it wasn't a potentially lethal weapon, she would have admired its sleek design and lustrous silver surface. She looked from Sam to Dean in alarm.

"No" She said shaking her heads "No guns"

"It's OK Bel" Dean said comfortingly as he pulled out a handful of bullets still left inside the pouch "These are salt bullets. They won't kill a human. They just hurt like hell" He finished with a look at Sam.

She put everything back in the box silently and finished with a deep breath as she closed it carefully. She was touched by their gift, which they had obviously put a lot of thought and effort into getting her. But it still raised doubts, and deep within her, some fears. She should have guessed the last few months had been too peaceful, too…good.

"I don't want to seem ungrateful, because I am grateful. Thank you…but…and don't lie to me…am I in danger?" She asked.

"No Bel, we just thought…"

"Sam, stop it" She cut him off "Don't lie to me, I'm a big girl. Now tell me seriously, should I be worried?"

"Not worried" Sam said "Just careful"

"We don't think you're in danger, Bel, and Missouri would sense if you were" Dean assured her "I still…_we_ still think you should be cautious and maybe learn how to handle yourself, protect yourself. Tomorrow I'll teach you how to shoot that gun and we'll work on your aim. We'll show you how to use some of the other stuff in that box"

"I really don't want to learn to shoot"

"I wasn't really asking Bel" Dean said "I'm not leaving here until I'm satisfied you can handle yourself in an attack. Your other option is coming along with us"

He saw Sam's head snap sharply at him. They had discussed the need for Isabel to learn some rudimentary supernatural fighting and protection skills, but having her join them on the road again? That, they had _not_ discussed. Sam obviously disagreed with the suggestion and was about to protest, but Dean knew better. After seeing her with Paul and her friends tonight, he knew Isabel would not leave Kansas with them even if they asked her too. She would agree to take Dean's advice and a bit of training, and he would leave knowing his cousin would not be completely helpless in the event of an attack.

She nodded her head in assent, like he knew she would.

"OK" She said "You can train me"


	10. Supernatural Boot Camp

AN: So many apologies for the delay. I'm running out of steam though. But not to worry, I promise I'll get this out. Here's another chapter. I want to thank everyone who's reading, and a huge virtual hug to everyone reviewing. Toodles, AT.

LorGilFan: got your message about the link to the story on your page. Thanks for that, I have gone to check it out.

XXXXXXXXX

"You're a natural at this" Dean said "Do it one more time"

Isabel looked at her older cousin and smiled proudly as she returned her attention to the revolver in her hands and aimed again at the empty beer can, balancing on the wooden fence of the abandoned farm fifty feet away. She pulled the trigger and a second later the aluminum vessel went flying off as the bullet knocked it off its perch. The gunshot boomed around the open space but there was no one nearby apart from them to hear it.

"Wow" She said "Even I'm surprised with myself"

"Yeah" He said with a nod as he took her gun and loaded the barrel with more bullets "You're good"

"Is that it then?" She asked finally "Can we head back now?"

They'd spent the entire day together. From early in the morning, Sam had sat down with her and described to her every aspect and use of the items in her 'birthday box'. How to draw specific symbols with chalk and salt around the house if she ever needed sanctuary. How to use the oils and pendant to create a protective environment. How to identify and ward off demons through the use of the holy water and other religious artifacts.

Then her cousins showed her some self-defense moves. They sparred in Missouri's backyard, and she could occasionally hear the older psychic's laughter through the kitchen window whenever Isabel either lost concentration or miscalculated a move, and ultimately ended up falling flat on her ass. This would be followed by Sam patiently asking her if she was alright, whilst Dean would either laugh along with Missouri at her loss of balance or sometimes get mad and yell for her to concentrate harder.

"Isabel, why didn't you block my kick?" He frowned down at her, after having missed her cue to block him and ending up sprawled face down on the ground "Focus, will you?"

"I can't Dean!" She protested as she struggled to get up again, clutching her left side where his kick had landed "I'm tired, and I'm hurt, and I don't want to do this anymore!"

"You need some basic fighting skills" Sam continued in a gentler tone as he grabbed her arm and helped to pull her up "You're doing well"

"Can we please finish?" She asked.

"No" Dean said again taking his fighting stance "Now, I'm going to come at you again and I want you to concentrate this time"

She sighed but before she had a chance to protest to Sam, Dean had already started coming at her. She blocked his first kick successfully, and even managed to duck one of his punches and land one of her own. The second punch he swatted off easily and fluidly, catching her wrist in his hand and jerking her body forward. Caught by surprise, instead of using one of the moves he'd shown her, she merely struggled, trying to pull her arm away but it was too late to do anything about his leg swinging around to swipe hers from behind. Before she knew it, she felt her centre of gravity shift and the ground come up to meet her, and too late she realized she was falling, yet again. She fell unceremoniously to the muddy lawn, and let out a groan and a puff, as the air was literally knocked out of her lungs. Dean had half caught her, breaking her momentum as she fell, but not completely. She felt him move behind her and a moment later his weight on her disappeared.

He let go of her wrist and stood up, freeing her body and allowing her to move. She used both her hands to turn onto her back, but remained on the ground, staring at her older cousin with fuming eyes, as she panted to catch her breath.

"You're not concentrating" He said calmly.

"This would be really funny if it wasn't happening to me" She said aloud to herself

"How many times have I told you to use your legs?" He asked her "Don't let me take you down! Let's go again!"

She shook her head and let her head fall back on the ground "No" She said "I've had enough"

"No, you haven't Isabel" He barked at her "Again. Get up!"

"No" She whined and turned to Sam "Sam, please, make him stop"

"Maybe we should take a break" Sam said, again pulling her up "You OK?"

"A break?" Dean asked "Is that what you're going to say to the bad guy? Can we take a break?"

"Dean, she doesn't want to do this anymore" Sam said turning to his brother "She's had enough. Don't make her do this"

"We've still got to show you how to shoot that gun" Dean pressed on.

"Yes, and I can see why you left that for last" Isabel said narrowing her eyes at him "You know, I have the strongest urge to shoot you right now"

"You need more practice" Dean insisted, though his voice had also taken a tone of pleading "You're not ready for a fight"

"Did you really think you could turn me into Xena in one day?" She asked "Dean, just deal with the fact I'm a five-foot-two, hundred-pound girl who doesn't have a knack for hand-to-hand combat, OK? Seriously, if anything comes after me I'll have a better chance outrunning it, or shooting it"

"It still pays to learn some moves" He continued.

"I don't want to do this anymore. I hate this!" She said tiredly "I'm tired and sore and for some reason I feel like I'm about to cry. Can we please stop?"

He sighed and took a deep breath "Fine" He said "We'll take a break, have lunch, then we'll take up target practice"

"I feel like I'm in boot camp" She said, gingerly walking back into the house.

Sam and Dean had agreed with her. If anything or anyone ever came after Isabel, her options were outrunning it, hiding from it or shooting at it. Together with Missouri and Isabel's birthday present, their cousin could potentially hide and not be found, at least not immediately. This plan of action depended on them getting some sort of warning though, and that's were Missouri's and Sam's gifts came in.

Her second option would be running. Isabel was an excellent runner. She still went on her daily runs in the morning. Earlier that morning she'd taken Sam with her on her morning run, as her younger cousin was the only other person awake at eight 'o' clock in the morning on a Sunday. Even Sam hadn't been able to keep up with her. She may not be a fighter, but she was at least fit. Of course, running away was a particularly poor defensive move, and a very temporary one at that.

That's where the shooting came in. Sam and Dean held their breath, hoping that Isabel had, at least, a talent for that. Luckily she did. One hour into their target practice session and she was a pro. Dean smiled smugly as Isabel shot every beer can off the fence.

"She got that from me" He'd said arrogantly to Sam as they walked back to the car.

Isabel was in better spirits now. Even though she didn't like the idea of guns or shooting anyone or anything, it was comforting to know that this was something she didn't suck at. But, although she'd enjoyed shooting beer cans in an abandoned farm, she didn't know if she'd be able to pull this off in a real situation.

Paul came around to Missouri's later in the afternoon and helped her cousins move her stuff. She merely watched as the boys piled clothes, shoes, books and other sundries into boxes for her. It didn't take long for her stuff to be piled into both cars and before she knew it she was ready to go. She gave Missouri and emotional hug, both women choking up before realizing they were going to be living fifteen minutes away from each other anyway.

"I'll see you on Tuesday?" Missouri asked her. They'd agreed Isabel would have dinner with Missouri on Tuesday nights. Missouri would also be making regular trips to Paul and Isabel's house to make sure everything was in order.

"Sure" Isabel said with a sniff "Thank you so much for everything Missouri. And thank you for my party last night"

The drive to Paul and Isabel's house had in fact taken just under fifteen minutes, and then it took an extra hour for them to unload the cars and move Isabel's stuff in. Paul took them around the house. It was small but very pretty and new. Three bedrooms, a large kitchen and dining area, a living room with a large TV that Dean eyed longingly, and two bathrooms. It was a small house, Sam thought, but too big for just two people. He watched Paul closely with his cousin and Sam came to the conclusion that Paul was thinking ahead here. He was thinking marriage and he was thinking kids, hence the extra two bedrooms.

He hadn't been the only one last night who'd thought Paul's present would turn out to be an engagement ring. Interestingly, Isabel's reaction when she'd pulled out the key to the house out of the gift box instead of a diamond ring had been a mixture of relief and disappointment

"I honestly thought there'd be a ring in that box!" She said the night before as she sat with her cousins in Missouri's living room after all the guests had left "I had to remind myself to breathe"

"You've only been together for five months Bel" Dean said, unable and unwilling to accept that his cousin would be settling down any time soon. With a guy they didn't really know.

"Dean, when you know, you know" She said with a smile towards Sam.

Dean watched as Sam and Isabel shared a look, like they were part of a little secret. Of course, thought Dean, Jessica. Isabel had always been more like Dean than Sam; in fact the two were more alike than Dean even wanted to admit. But now, it was changing. Sam and Isabel had found some common ground, a mutual bond that Dean couldn't be a part of or understand. They had both found the love of their lives. Sam had lost his, but he still believed Jessica was and always would be 'the one'. For the first time since the three were together, Dean felt a little left out.

He thought about it as Paul an Isabel showed them around the house, watching as Sam smiled at his cousin and her boyfriend, joking and acting like they were already one big happy family. Dean rolled his eyes and followed the three around as they headed back to the living room.

They were tired after all of that, and agreed that Isabel would unpack the next day. Paul watched in amusement as the three collapsed on the couch, looking drained.

"You guys staying the night?" Paul asked looking from Dean to Sam.

"No" Dean said

"Yes" Said Sam looking at Isabel "If that's alright. We can leave in the morning"

"There's a spare room with two beds" Paul said "Get a good night's rest and then you can head off tomorrow"

Dean closed his eyes as he rested his head back on the couch, inwardly slapping Sam in the back of the head. He'd wanted to head out that night. Well, he didn't really want to, he just felt it would be easier. He was starting to feel comfortable, too comfortable. Being back home, seeing Isabel, just taking a breather from the road; it was nice. The problem was, the longer he stayed there the harder it would be to leave.

"We can leave after breakfast" Sam said as they lay down on their beds later that night.

Dean didn't argue, he just nodded at his brother and turned on his side. The last thought through his mind was a sense of gratitude that he was so tired and would sleep so soundly, he would not be hearing anything coming from the next room where his cousin and her boyfriend were.

As usual he was the last one to wake up the next day. He made his way through the house, following the sound of chatter and the smell of food. He walked into the kitchen finding Sam and Paul at the table while Isabel stood by the stove.

"Good morning sunshine" She said cheerily "Scrambled eggs?"

"Yeah" He mumbled as he sat down at the table next to his brother. Paul reached across the table and poured him a cup of coffee "Thanks"

"Did you sleep OK?" Paul asked him.

"Like the dead" Dean admitted.

"Well, I better get going, or I'll be late for work" Paul stood up and walked over to Isabel, kissing her lightly on the cheek "I'll see you tonight"

"Sure" She said kissing him back "Love you"

"Love you too" He said letting her get back to the eggs and turning to Sam and Dean "Well guys, in case you're gone by the time I get back, it was a pleasure to meet you. Please come back again soon, you're always welcome"

"Thanks Paul" Sam said, touched by Paul's warmth and friendliness "We'll see you soon"

The three shook hands and Paul left, leaving Sam, Dean and Isabel to their breakfast.

"You have to go to work too?" Dean asked as he wolfed down the contents of his plate.

"Not until 1pm" She said picking at her own plate "Are you going to head off straight away?"

They didn't get a chance to answer her as a pounding on the front door startled them.

"Bet you Paul forgot something" Isabel said standing up "You know for someone with a PhD he can be a real scatterbrain sometimes"

But it wasn't Paul. It was Missouri standing on her doorstep with a distraught looking woman by her side. She looked to be about fifty, with graying hair and a frail figure, looking all the more frail by standing next to Missouri's robust form.

"Missouri?" She asked "Something wrong?"

"Can we come in?" Missouri asked, foregoing all formalities and greetings "Are Sam and Dean still here?'

Isabel thought it was a strange question. Their car was, after all, parked in the drive way, in plain view. But she could tell something was troubling the psychic. She moved aside and gestured for the women to walk in.

"We're having breakfast" She said "what happened?"

She followed as Missouri and the woman stepped in and Sam and Dean appeared in the living room, having heard their conversation at the door. The five people looked at each other awkwardly before Missouri finally spoke.

"Thank God you're still around" Missouri said "I think we have a situation"

"What kind of situation?" Dean asked, narrowing his eyes at her.

"Your kind of situation" She said and turned to the woman who had been standing silently beside her "This is Betty, one of my clients. Something's happened to her husband"

Dean looked at Missouri blankly "Yeah…like what?" He asked slowly.

"My husband Al, went to bed on Friday night and never woke up" Betty said anxiously, her voice shaking with emotion.

"He…died in his sleep?" Dean asked, unsure how to make the question sound any less insensitive.

"No, he's alive" She continued "He's just sleeping. The doctors don't know what's wrong. He just won't wake up"

"A lot of people can suffer strokes in their sleep" Sam said gently "Sometimes…"

"He didn't suffer a stroke" The woman cut in irritated "The MRIs, the CT scans, his EEG, it's all normal. He's not brain dead, he's not in a coma, and he's not awake. He's just sleeping"

Sam turned to Missouri now "What exactly do you want us to do?"

"Al isn't the only case at the hospital like this" Missouri explained "There's another two just like him. The doctors can't wake them up; all in the last week. It just sounds a little strange. I thought maybe you could check it out"

"Check what out?" Dean asked.

"I just went by Betty's house and I sensed something strange" Missouri said "There wasn't a presence there, but I could sense an energy. Could you please check it out? I'll be going with Betty to the hospital now to take a look at Al"

"No problem" Isabel said, placing a comforting hand on Betty's shoulder "We'll take a look at it and let you know if there's anything…odd"

The woman looked at her gratefully and smiled "Thank you dear"

Missouri and Betty left soon after and Isabel turned to her cousins. Dean was watching her with a smirk on his face.

"_We_?" He asked her "_We_'ll take a look at it?"

"That's right" She said "I have the morning off and you guys have nothing else to do but leave town today. It won't take long and it'll give us a little more time together"

"Suddenly all this supernatural demon hunting sounds appealing to you, does it?" Dean asked sarcastically.

"It's most likely nothing" Isabel said "He probably has a tumor, or took the wrong medication or there's a virus going around or something. I'm sure there's a medical explanation for it"

"What if there isn't?" Dean asked "Maybe there's a supernatural explanation for it"

"Well, that's what we're going to check out, right?" She said.


	11. The Sandman

AN: Caution - Nasty argument up ahead. Thanks again for everyone reviewing, you're the reason I'm still plugging away at this. You're the best! Toodles, AT.

XXXXXXXXX

They walked up the driveway to the front door and into Betty and Al's house slowly. They followed the woman's instructions and immediately headed up the stairs where they knew the couple's bedroom to be. Sam entered first, twisting the doorknob and pushing the door open. Silently and cautiously Dean and Isabel followed him in.

"It looks normal" Sam said as he took a look around.

It did look normal. They all walked in and slowly wandered around the small bedroom. Dean walked over to the wardrobe and opened the doors. Nothing out of the ordinary. There were a few muddy footprints around the bed and across the carpet, but he figured they were probably from the paramedics. Apart from those and a few scattered items of clothing, everything seemed to be in order.

Sam walked over to an antique mahogany dresser and ran his fingers gently over the few photo frames. One was of Betty and Al's wedding, another two showed what he assumed were their children and possibly a grandchild. He picked one up and looked at it for a moment, setting it back down and turning back to the room. Nothing here was pointing to the supernatural. Nothing here was pointing to foul play, period. And unlike Missouri, he wasn't getting any sort of strange feeling or sensing an unusual energy.

Isabel stood at the side of the bed and opened the drawers to the bedside table. Reading glasses, a couple of books on World War II, boxer shorts and men's socks. This was Al's side of the bed. She looked at the bed itself and found it odd that the covers were neatly smoothed. She would have expected them to be rumpled and in disarray, as the paramedics would have left them when they took Al away. But it wasn't. Betty had obviously tidied up the bed after they left. She lifted the covers slightly, pushed them aside, and frowned.

"What's this?" She asked softly, moving the pillow aside and running her hand over the sheets. She raised her hand to study the rough residue stuck to her palm.

"It looks like sand" Sam said, walking over to stand next to her. He grabbed her hand and ran his own fingers over her skin. He gently rubbed the coarse grains between his fingertips.

"Sand?" Dean asked, staring at his brother and cousin from the other side of the bed "What's it doing on the bed?"

"Maybe it's the Sandman" Isabel suggested jokingly with a smirk.

"Sandman?" Dean asked in interest, looking at his brother with raised eyebrows.

"It would explain why Al appears to be just sleeping"

"OK, guys?" Isabel interrupted looking from Sam to Dean in disbelief that they thought she was serious "I was just kidding"

"Why else would there be sand on the bed?" Sam asked.

Isabel shrugged as possibilities entered her mind, none of them including the sandman.

"Maybe he was doing yard work, maybe he was playing golf and dragged sand in. Maybe he had a heat pack, maybe it came from an hourglass. I don't know Sam!"

"What are the chances of that?" He asked.

"Better than the chance of it being the work of a fictional character" She replied.

"Think about it, it makes sense"

"It makes sense?" She asked incredulous "You actually think it makes sense? The Sandman?"

"Betty said that…"

"The Sandman isn't real!" She continued, cutting Sam off "It's a bedtime story, Sam. Just a myth"

"So was the hook man" Dean countered haughtily "Remember Iowa?"

Sam's retort was less patronizing "You have to admit your skepticism hasn't really served you well in the past, Bel"

She took a deep breath and decided to indulge them for the moment "OK…I can't believe I'm going along with this but…isn't the Sandman… good?"

"I guess it depends on what version of the story you believe" Sam said.

"That's right, there are lots of variations"

"And what's your source for this 'evil Sandman' theory, huh?" Isabel asked mockingly with her hands on her hips"Apart from the Metallica song"

Dean gave her a withering glare whilst Sam seemed lost in thought.

"We should talk to Paul" He said finally and watched apprehensively as his cousin's eyes widened in alarm.

"Oh no, I'm not telling my boyfriend you guys are investigating the possibility that the Sandman is real" Isabel said shaking her head "He already thinks we're weird enough"

"You said it yourself Isabel" Sam started "He's an expert in folklore, he would know about the legend of the Sandman and any variations to the original there might be"

"Besides, he knows what we do" Dean added "You've told him, haven't you?"

She closed her eyes and sighed in frustration, letting out a big breath before speaking again.

"What I've told him is a very glossed over version of what you two do" She said "He doesn't know the full unedited version, and I don't want him to know it…yet"

"So you haven't really told him about the month you spent on the road with us, and what you saw?" Dean asked "Or why you _decided_ to relocate to Kansas?"

"I've been a little vague on details, OK?" she said "I've left certain things out"

"Have you told him about what happened to you in Illinois?" Sam asked suddenly and watched as his cousin blanched and looked down at her feet.

From his conversation with Paul on Saturday night, Sam guessed that one of the details that Isabel had omitted in the story she'd told Paul, was her own near death experience and ordeal with the demon that abducted, raped and tortured her.

"Not yet" She said so softly they almost didn't hear her.

"Not even the _glossed over_ version?" Dean asked tartly "By the way, how does that go?"

"Have you ever told anyone everything about you?" She asked angrily. Dean swallowed and she had her answer. She knew about Cassie and she knew how that had turned out. Sometimes the truth was too much for some people "And how did that work out for you, Dean? She went running for the hills, didn't she?"

"This isn't about me" He said heatedly, for the first time not letting her redirect the argument with her stinging barb "But if you were my girlfriend I would want to know something like that!"

"And how the hell do I tell him something like that?" She spat back "If you were in his shoes, how would you like to hear it?"

"He deserves to know" Dean said "It's not something you can keep from him, Isabel"

"I will tell him when the time is right" She said with a darkening look directed at her older cousin "Which incidentally, isn't now"

"Yeah, you just keep on lying" He replied "I mean, if you can do it with your own family, you can do it with Paul, right?"

"OK, we are getting way off track here" Sam interrupted, not in the mood to play MC to a fight between Isabel and Dean, yet again "Isabel, we really should talk to Paul about this"

"_I'll_ go talk to Paul" Isabel said "You two should probably go to the hospital and find out about the other people like Al, and what exactly the doctors think is going on"

"I can go with you" Sam offered.

"I'd rather talk to Paul alone" She said evenly.

"Are you afraid we might accidentally blurt something out?" Dean asked caustically.

"No, I'm afraid you might _intentionally_ blurt something out" She replied.

"One way or another Bel, he's going to find out" He said in a determined tone that made her think he might tell her boyfriend the truth just to spite her.

"Not today he's not" She warned "And certainly not from you"

"The longer you wait, the angrier he'll be when you finally do tell him" He said "trust me"

"That's gong to be my problem Dean, not yours" She spat back "Stay the hell out of it"

"I'm just trying to give you some advice"

"Oh yeah right" Isabel said sarcastically with a snort "Like I'm going to take relationship advice from you of all people. Stick to what you know, Dean. If I ever need tips on picking up random guys in a bar, I'll come to you"

"I hardly think you need anyone's help there" He said just as snidely "And I have to say, I find it interesting that you didn't even wait one month since your last boyfriend died before jumping on the next guy that came along"

"How dare you, you insensitive bastard!" She said more shocked than offended at his harsh words "It wasn't like that. This is different. Paul is different"

His eyes flashed with anger and his tone dropped to an icy whisper "We'll just see if he's as forgiving as I am when he finds out you've been keeping something this big from him for months"

"You say one word to him about this Dean and I swear I will never speak to you again" She said, matching his coldness.

"That's an empty threat, and you know it" He said, though not as cocky as before.

"Wanna try me? Because the last time I said it, I didn't speak to you for eight years" She said, then immediately regretted her choice of words as his face dropped.

They hadn't even noticed Sam had moved and it wasn't until the bedroom door slammed shut that Dean and Isabel stopped mid-argument and looked towards the empty bedroom towards the sound. They shared a quick curious glance as they heard the receding footsteps through the door and quickly followed him, running down the stairs and catching up to him as he walked out the front steps of the house.

"Sam!" Dean called out.

Sam turned around tiredly and looked at his brother and cousin in disapproval.

"What's wrong?" Isabel asked.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked incredulous "What's wrong? You two! That's what's wrong!"

"It was just a little spat Sam" Isabel said casually "We didn't really mean…"

"It doesn't matter if you mean it or not" He cut in exasperated "One day, one of you will say something that can't be taken back. One day one of these _little spats_ will get way out of hand. Why do you have to be so cruel to each other? I don't understand"

They were all quiet for a moment as Sam's outburst sank in Dean's and Isabel's conscience. Eventually Isabel looked at her older cousin apologetically.

"I know I have to tell Paul what happened" She said gently "But you have to understand how hard it is for me to even think about it, let alone let someone in. I'm going to tell him as soon as I feel strong enough to do it"

Dean nodded solemnly "I'm not going to say a word to him, Bel. I just know that this is something he needs to know. He loves you and…he should know. If you keep secrets from him, it'll end badly"

Silence settled around them again and Isabel and Dean looked at each other and nodded in agreement. It was as close to an apology as they were going to get today. They turned to Sam simultaneously as if seeking his approval that they were done making up. Now what? Their expressions seemed to say.

Sam shook his head sadly. Sure, they stopped fighting, sure, they'd make up. But he had the nagging suspicion that his words were falling on deaf years with those two. Neither of them knew when to stop. Maybe it would be best for everyone if he and Dean left Lawrence as soon as possible. As soon as they found out if there was anything in Betty's story.

"Let's just go to the hospital and see what we can find out" He said in a defeated tone "We can drop Isabel off at the university"

Isabel and Dean, fully aware they were far from being absolved, silently obeyed him and jumped back into the car without another word.

"I'm tired of having to break up your fights" He said in a matter-of-fact tone as they drove off towards the campus "I'm not going to do it anymore. From now on I'm just going to walk away and let you two kill each other"

He'd meant it too. Sam never again broke up one of Isabel's and Dean's arguments. True to his word, from that day forward he simply walked away and let his cousin and brother battle it out. And his prophetic warning had been more than accurate when he'd told Isabel and Dean that one day one of their fights would get way out of hand and one of them would say something that could never be taken back.


	12. Standoff

AN: Thank you all once more for the reviews. I'm glad you like the fights, I like them too. Just letting you know now that there is going to be a_ huge_ one in a few more chapters. I'm not kidding, huge and nasty!

Please drop me a review, always appreciated. Toodles, AT.

XXXXX

Wordlessly, Sam and Dean made their way down the ward corridor to where Missouri was waiting for them. She walked over to meet them, her face taut with worry and, as she looked closer at the two Winchesters, suspicion.

"What happened?" She asked, noticing the two men's tense stance and the hostility radiating from Dean.

"Nothing" Was Sam's clipped reply.

"You think I was born yesterday, boy?"

"Isabel and I had a fight" Dean confessed.

Under different circumstances, she might have been interested, curious, even amused. Not today.

"What say we put your petty family squabble aside for now and focus on what you found at the house?" She asked, her no-nonsense tone clearly lacking any patience whatsoever.

"We found sand on the bed" Sam said, noticing the psychic's lets-get-to-the-point attitude "Does Betty know how sand would have gotten there?"

"Sand?" Missouri asked, now interested "What do you think it means?"

"We were thinking Sandman" Dean said.

"_The_ Sandman?" Missouri's eyebrows rose "That's a bit of a stretch"

"Maybe not _the_ Sandman, but some sort of variation to the original legend, some sort of manifestation" Sam explained "Maybe someone summoned something. We've dealt with something similar involving the hook man in Iowa"

"We've just dropped off Isabel at the university. She's going to talk to Paul and find out about the story, any derivatives. Just anything on the myth" Dean added.

Missouri looked away towards the small waiting room at the end of the corridor. Betty was sitting by herself, her eyes staring blankly out the window looking out onto the hospital's parking lot. She looked lost. On the other side of the room, sat a man. He was younger, possibly around forty years old. His elbows rested on his knees and his face was buried in his hands. Missouri looked at him sympathetically.

"It would explain what's happening" She said.

As it turned out, the man was there keeping vigil for his wife, who was supposedly suffering from the same symptoms as Betty's husband. Missouri explained to Sam and Dean what she'd found out from visiting Al, and what information she'd gathered from talking to the doctors.

Al, the man's wife Michelle and Stephanie, an eighteen year old girl, were being kept in the neurology ward. The doctors were baffled. It appeared that the three patients were sleeping. Spinal taps and blood tests revealed no infections. MRI, CAT scans and all other medical neuroimaging techniques had revealed nothing pathological. No strokes, no aneurysms, no tumors. EEG electrodes monitoring their brain activity revealed they were not in a coma, but simply sleeping. Further polysomnography tests specifically discovered they were in rapid eye movement sleep. They weren't just peacefully sleeping; they were dreaming. They were stuck in a continuous dream state.

"What does that mean?" Dean asked, thinking it didn't sound so bad.

"It means they're stuck in REM sleep" Missouri said "Doctors can't wake them up or even stop them from dreaming"

"And that's bad?"

"REM sleep is a highly active neuronal state for the brain" She explained, regurgitating the neurologist's spiel "The brain isn't meant to work that hard for so long. It can only cope with so much before it just…burns out"

"What's going to happen to them?"

"Gordon's wife was the first one admitted" Missouri said with another glance towards the lone man lost in despair "Her organs are starting to fail. She doesn't have long. Maybe another day"

Approaching the grieving man had been difficult but necessary. Gordon was surprisingly forthcoming once he found out Sam and Dean were connected to Betty and Al. Maybe he felt a strange bond with the other patient sharing his wife's fate. Sam and Dean told him they were Al's sons.

"Yeah, there was some sand on the bed" Gordon said emotionlessly "Not much…but she'd taken our daughter to the park earlier that day. I figured it probably came from the sandbox or something"

Sam and Dean exchanged a look and left the man to his own thoughts. They told Missouri they would head back to Isabel's and Paul's house and wait for them there, hoping the couple had been able to find something useful in the Sandman legend. Something that might explain what was going on. If there was nothing they could pull out of that line of thought, then there was really nothing much else they could do.

"Sand in their bed too" Sam said as they walked back to the car "Too much of a coincidence, don't you think?"

"Yeah, I do" Dean agreed with his younger brother "I hope Paul can tell us something useful"

"We should check out any connections between the victims"

"A teenage girl, a young mother and a retired war vet?" Dean pointed out "What could they possibly have in common?"

"There has to be something linking them. There always is" Sam said "Let's just see what Isabel has to tell us first"

Sam very delicately suggested he should talk to Isabel alone when she came home. Dean agreed and took the opportunity to give Tracy a call, taking more pleasure from the knowledge it would irritate his cousin than the prospect of a hot date and a good time.

Sam waited for his cousin and her boyfriend to come home that night. The couple finally arrived just before seven to find Sam sitting alone in the lounge room.

"Guess you're staying a little longer" Paul said with a smile when he spotted his girlfriend's cousin.

"Guess we are" Sam said "You know, guys, the doormat isn't the most imaginative place to hide a spare key to the front door"

"Mmm, he's right" Paul said thinking "We should hide it somewhere else"

"Forget the key" Isabel said dismissively "Any news?"

Her expression was open and Sam took it as an indication that he was allowed to speak freely about what they'd found out at the hospital. Even Paul looked at him expectantly.

He explained to them about the other three patients, not leaving any details out. He told them about the sand and how the next step was to find out if the Sandman fairytale derived from something more sinister. As it was, Paul explained that it did.

"The original fairytale was written by Hans Christian Andersen, but…there was originally a not-so-romanticized version"

"The sandman wasn't always good?" Sam asked.

"No, he wasn't" Paul continued "In some versions he was evil. There's a well known short story written by an 18th century German writer in which the sandman is in fact, evil and steals people's eyes. In some he stole people's dreams, in others he gave children nightmares. These have their origins in Europe and they differ from region to region, but it's not such a leap to imagine that there are many more variations. You know, usually in these legends, there's some…events that have lead to the folklore"

"Meaning?"

"They had to start somewhere" Paul said "I'm not sure that this would be the work of the sandman per se, but it may be the work of an actual person or entity that truly exists and was the inspiration for the story"

"I told him about the hook man" Isabel said, having remained quiet for most of the conversation so far "I didn't want him to think I was crazy for asking him these questions…or at least I didn't want him to think I'm the _only_ one who's crazy"

Sam looked at her closely for a moment. Her expression was steeled yet vulnerable. She had just told Paul the reality of their lives as supernatural hunters and she wanted Sam to know that it had been a giant move on her part to let Paul into that. And now she had to sit there and listen to her cousin and boyfriend as they calmly discussed the existence of an imaginary being.

"If it's anything like that, then someone has to be summoning it" Sam said "Or at the very least there has to be a link between the three victims"

"Have you found any yet?" asked Paul.

"No" Sam said sadly "And we don't have much time either. Gordon's wife, Michelle, is dying. These people don't have much longer and there are no guarantees there won't be others"

They were lost in their thoughts for a few minutes before Isabel looked around the room and fixed Sam with an inquisitive stare.

"Where's Dean?" She asked.

Sam hesitated before deciding it wasn't his fight "He's out on a date with Tracy"

Isabel's only reaction to the news was a slight clenching of her jaw. She knew Dean had most likely asked her friend out just to piss her off. She shrugged it off.

"So now what?" She asked.

"Tomorrow, Dean and I will try to find a connection between the three" Sam continued "Paul, maybe you could find out if there have ever been any real manifestations of the sandman or something similar, here in America. The more you can tell us the better. Right now, we're kind of lost"

Paul said he would do some more intensive research the following day and call some colleagues more familiar with European folklore to try and get as much as he could find on the fable. They agreed the most important thing at the moment though, was of course, finding a link between the three victims who were currently catatonic and unable to be interrogated at the local hospital.

They had a quiet dinner and watched TV for a little while after before Paul turned in. Isabel looked at her watch every now and them, and Sam knew she was wondering what time Dean would be coming home; or if he was coming home at all. If she was upset about the prospect of her cousin sleeping with her friend and colleague, she didn't show it, and Sam knew better than to bring up the topic.

Isabel and Sam sat on the couch talking for a while after. It was almost midnight but Isabel didn't seem ready to turn in just yet. Sam figured she either wanted to wait until Dean came home or she just genuinely wanted to spend time with her younger cousin.

"Are you waiting up for Dean?"

"Partly, yes" She said truthfully. She always found it a little hard to lie to Sam, who always wore his heart on his sleeve "Part of me is really enjoying just talking to you"

"You're not mad he's out with your friend?"

"Tracy is no saint herself" Isabel pointed out "She's a big girl, and Dean's a big boy. I'm in no position to judge or interfere…" She was quiet for another moment "Dean's right, you know… I didn't really wait long after Jack died before dating Paul"

"Bel, he didn't mean it like that"

"It's OK" She said with a shrug and leaned against his shoulder as she felt sleep slowly taking over her "I know what it seems like and deep down… I knew I probably needed a little more time to deal with everything that happened in Illinois before I started dating Paul"

"Sometimes love isn't quite that logical, or patient" Sam said "Your heart wanted Paul and you listened to it"

A soft snort and a slight shake of her head let him now she disagreed with his conclusion "I can't believe Dean came closer to the truth than you! I started dating Paul because after you guys left I was scared of being alone again"

"Bel, you're not alone" He turned his head and looked down at her, alarmed by her confession.

She shifted to get more comfortable on the couch, her head also searching for a fleshier part of his shoulder. But her eyes remained closed and a smile crossed her lips.

"It's OK, I got lucky…because now I'm really in love with him, Sam. It's not something I planned or even wanted to happen."

"If you're happy, I'm happy"

"I am" She said groggily as her posture slacked "this was meant to happen"

Her breathing became shallow and her eyes closed. Sam looked down at her again and found Isabel had fallen asleep. He should have waken her up and told her to go to bed. But he was comfortable, and just like she'd said, he wasn't sure when he would get the chance to be with her again. He and Dean would have to leave Lawrence soon, they eventually would have to face the demon they'd been hunting for years, and realistically, his days could be numbered. When he and Dean left Lawrence this time, there was really no guarantee that they would ever see Isabel again. He felt his eyes close, and voluntarily he let sleep overcome him.

Half an hour later, the Impala pulled up the driveway. The front door opened and Dean walked in, watching his cousin and brother asleep on the couch. The TV cast the entire room in an eerie bluish light.

Dean felt a slight twinge of guilt. He knew they'd more than likely stayed up to wait up for him. But watching them peacefully sleeping like that, so comfortable with each other, he felt a renewed sense of resentment, not unclouded by jealousy.

Lately, Sam and Isabel had more in common than either of them had with him. It used to be that Isabel was more like than Sam. But ever since she'd settled back into her little domestic lifestyle, she seemed to be getting closer to Sam. They no longer shared their little vulgar jokes, traded childish insults, and their latest arguments were not as trivial as they sometimes had been in the past. There was a distance growing between himself and Isabel, and sometimes he felt the same distance was growing between him and Sam.

He sat on one of the couches and watched them. Then, as if Sam could feel his eyes on him he woke up slowly and looked at his brother.

"What time is it?" He asked wiping sleep from his eyes.

"Almost one" Dean said, glancing at Isabel's sleeping form "She mad at me?"

"Nah" Sam said "We were just up talking"

Of course you were, Dean thought sullenly.

"We should turn in" Dean said after a beat "Could be a long day tomorrow"

Just as Sam was about to shake Isabel awake, a loud banging sound came from the kitchen, followed by some unidentifiable clattering. They turned their heads towards the noise.

"Paul?" Sam called out. More clattering but no response. He called out again, louder "Paul?"

Sam and Dean shared a look as Isabel stirred and looked around her. Her eyes rested on Dean and she smiled at him.

"Hey, you're back" She croaked out "How was your date?"

"Stay here" Dean said as he stood up from the couch "And be quiet"

"Are you still mad at me?" She asked but got no response from her older cousin. She turned to Sam "Is he still mad at me?"

"Shh" Was Sam's response and she was immediately on alert.

Dean walked stealthily past the fire place and quietly picked up a poker before once again heading off towards the direction of the sounds.

"Dean, what are you doing?" She asked as Dean disappeared from view.

"There's someone in the kitchen" Sam whispered.

"Oh crap!" She said pushing herself off the couch so quickly Sam's hand ended up grasping at empty air "It's probably Paul"

"Isabel, wait!" Sam called out after her.

Sam caught up to his cousin as Isabel rushed to the kitchen. Dean stood just in front of them at the door; Isabel had to poke her head around him to check out the scene. Paul stood at the fridge, with his back to them, pulling out items from the shelves and setting them down on the bench beside him. One of the containers teetered on the edge of the countertop before falling to the floor and shattering, creating a pool of what could now be identified as ranch dressing.

Sam and Dean looked down at the mess, and found other similar puddles of food and broken glass across the floor. Paul seemed oblivious to the mess and the noise he was making.

"Paul?" Sam looked over his brother's shoulder "Paul, what are you doing?"

They got no answer still and Dean lowered the poker in his hand and turned to look down at Isabel.

"What the hell is he doing, Isabel?" he whispered to her.

"He's sleepwalking" She said, squeezing between Dean and the doorframe and moving forward carefully evading the mess and glass shards, up to Paul.

"Careful with the glass"

She stopped a couple of feet away from Paul, and watched him cautiously "Paul, honey, you OK?"

"Hungry"

"Hungry?" she asked taking another step closer "Paul it's almost two in the morning? Come on, honey, let's get you back to bed"

He turned sharply to face her and she instinctively took a surprised step back as the knife he held in his hand came into view. It wasn't large or sharp, just a steak knife, but if he didn't know what he was doing, it could still be a dangerous weapon.

"I'm hungry" He repeated firmly.

"Isabel?" Dean's eyes had also been drawn to the knife and he took a step forward towards the couple "Step away, very slowly"

"Stay back Dean" She said, waving him off with her hand "I've got it" She turned again to Paul and slowly reached forward, her hand wrapping around his own as she reached with her other to pull the knife away.

Dean also moved forward but was stopped from further progress when his younger brother grabbed him by the arm and held him back. He turned to Sam, but he was watching Paul and Isabel intently, a slight shake of his head the only acknowledgment of Dean's glare. With a reluctant sigh Dean turned and continued to anxiously watch the scene unfold.

"Do you want me to make you something?" Isabel asked gently as she took hold of the knife and set it back down on the counter behind her "A sandwich?"

"Turkey?" Paul asked, his eyes were open but they seemed to be looking right through her. She wondered just how much of what he was seeing he was actually registering.

"Sure, turkey sandwich. You got it" she said gently grabbing his arm and pulling him away "Why don't you go back to bed and I'll bring it up for you?"

"OK" He said, letting her lead him towards their bedroom.

Sam and Dean remained glued to their spots until Isabel came back a couple of minutes later. She looked at the mess in the kitchen and groaned. She grabbed a dishtowel and wondered where to begin.

"Don't all jump to help me at once" She said sarcastically to her cousins.

They sprung into action and helped their cousin clean up the mess in the kitchen, still startled at what they'd just witnessed.

"What the hell was that Bel?" Sam asked as he swept up broken glass.

"He sleepwalks" She said.

"Yes, I figured that much" Dean said "Does he do it often?"

"No" She said "Just a few times"

"What does he do during his sleepwalking?"

"You just saw it" She said "He makes himself something to eat, sometimes he takes a shower, this one time he…" She stopped mid-sentence and stammered through the rest of her explanation "well, you don't really want to know…it was…kinky"

"You're right, I don't really want to know" Sam said wryly.

"He's sleeping now. He won't even remember it in the morning"

"Does he know he does it?"

"Yeah, he does" She said "He's seen someone about it, but there's not much that can be done. It's apparently not that rare"

"There's no cure?" Sam asked.

"It's not a disease, Sam!"

"He could have hurt you" Dean pointed out.

She shook her head "No, he wouldn't. He's never violent. He just…goes into a sort of trance"

Dean and Sam shared a few concerned looks but no more was said about it for the night. This was a development that neither Dean nor Sam were thrilled about, but was not really a matter for them to take issue with. If Isabel trusted Paul, then they would have to be satisfied and trust her to know what she was doing.

The next morning, after apologizing to Sam and Dean for the previous night's incident, Paul and Isabel left together for work. Sam and Dean spent the day talking to Betty, Gordon and Stephanie's parents to figure out if there was any link between the three of them. At first glance, there was none. Not only were all three different ages, from different backgrounds and neighborhoods, but they had never met and appeared to share no common interests. No similar medical history. No shared hobbies. They could not possibly be more different.

"We're stuck" Sam said as the four of them talked over dinner that night and Paul showed them a large file containing different translated versions of the sandman fairytale "We can't do anything with these if we don't know what we're looking for"

"You're looking for a connection, Sam" Isabel said soothingly. Her cousin was getting agitated at the lack of progress they'd made so far "You'll find it"

"We've looked everywhere" He said, taking another bite of Isabel's vegetarian lasagna "There isn't one"

"There always is, Sam" Dean said casually "Remember that demon in Illinois?"

Dean wasn't sure if his own surprise at his words had caused him to stop breathing or if his cousin, currently glaring daggers at him from across the table, had somehow subconsciously managed to start choking him without moving an inch from her chair. He knew instantly this slip of the tongue would cost him, and he would have backtracked but was afraid to dig an even bigger hole for himself. He looked at her in surprise and apprehension, but her piercing fuming stare was unflinching.

If Dean and Isabel weren't currently staring at each in stony silence across the dinner table and Sam hadn't dropped his fork, Paul might not even have noticed. Unlike Sam he hadn't really been around Isabel and Dean long enough to know that the best thing to do was to sit on the fence and stay out of it.

"What happened in Illinois?" Paul asked curiously.


	13. Never Go To Bed Angry

Silence. Tense, uncomfortable silence. Before the situation got way more awkward, Sam cut in.

"We hunted a demon where Isabel used to live" He said "The only connection there turned out to be the actual demon himself. Completely different case, though. The victims themselves were similar, in age and looks. All girls"

"A demon?" Paul asked in fascination "For real?"

"Yeah, well, a half demon. Incubus" Sam continued as Isabel's glare switched to him "Posed as a human"

"He looked human?"

Sam stared straight ahead past Paul and Isabel, silent and unmoving, as if he thought if he sat quiet and still, he could become invisible.

"Turned out to be the local deputy sheriff" Dean went on "Took us a while to figure it out"

"I don't want to talk about this at the dinner table" Isabel said calmly, though the tightness in her voice betrayed her.

"I'm sorry darling. It's just….this is so interesting" Paul said gently "The thought that these things are actually out there, amongst us! It's so exciting. The thrill of the hunt, the danger. It sounds like one hell of an adventure!"

"An adventure?" She asked "Paul, an adventure is swimming the English Channel or climbing Mount Everest, not chasing after psychopathic demons and homicidal urban legends! That's not an adventure, I'll tell you what it is" She said agitated as she turned to Dean and Sam "It's a death wish"

Without another word she stood from her chair and stormed off. A few seconds later they heard the bedroom door slam shut, and the three men looked at each other unsurely.

"I guess she's not too fond of your line of work" Paul said with a guilty look back towards the direction in which Isabel had fled.

"She never has been" Dean said bitterly.

"It makes sense now" Paul said with a solemn nod, more to himself than to Sam or Dean "All these months, she would go on and on about you two. How she was so worried, wondering where you were, if you were OK. She just wouldn't relax until she spoke to one of you. I figured she just missed you, but now I get it…she was actually… really worried about you"

"What we do can sometimes get…dangerous" Sam said "That's why we all thought it would be best for her to stay in here in Kansas"

"That's not the only reason though, is it?" Paul asked "She could have gone back home to Illinois"

Neither of the Winchester men responded, and their uneasy glances confirmed Paul's initial suspicions about his girlfriend.

"Something happened to her there" He stated, watching Dean and Sam for a reaction.

"Paul, maybe this is a conversation you should have with her…when..."

"It's OK, Sam" Paul said "I know"

"You know?"

"I've always known there was something she wasn't telling me" Paul continued "It's been six months since she's left and she still refuses to go back there. Not even to sell her house. I'm only just _now_ finding out what you two really do, and…you know…we were together for almost two months before she even let me touch her? What the hell happened to her over there?"

It didn't take a college professor with a PhD to figure out that something wasn't adding up, and Dean deliberated in his mind the pros and cons of telling Paul why his girlfriend seemed to be keeping secrets from him. But as much as he knew Paul deserved to know, and knowing that putting off telling him would undoubtedly backfire on Isabel, it really wasn't his place to divulge anything. His cousin was right; Paul should hear it from her. He didn't agree with her way of handling this, but more than that, he didn't want to betray her trust.

"You should ask her that, Paul"

"You think I haven't?"

"Maybe she needs a little more time"

"I've given her nothing _but_ time!" He said "She knows everything about me, and I've found out more about her in the two days you've been here, than I have in the past five months. I don't know what to do!"

"She _will_ tell you, Paul" Dean continued, almost pleading with the man "Please, just be patient with her. It's hard for her too"

Paul was quiet for a moment.

"It's bad, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it's bad" Dean admitted "There's not a lot of great stuff in her past to reminisce about. Moving here to Kansas gave her a fresh start and meeting you…it's turned things around for her"

"I just wish she'd let me in" He said wistfully, with an edge of frustration.

"Don't push her" Dean added, as advice rather than threat "Trust me, don't. She'll come to you"

"I guess I have no choice" Paul said standing up "I can't leave her now. Even if I wanted to…I couldn't… I just couldn't"

Sam, having chosen to remain quiet, smiled briefly at Paul. He'd always understood Isabel's point of view. She'd kept a lot of her past life secret from Paul because she loved him too much and was afraid to lose him if she told him everything. He'd felt exactly the same with Jessica. But now, he could put himself in Paul's place and see things from the other side. He wondered if Jessica ever suspected he kept things about himself from her. He wondered if like Paul, she just let it slide, because she loved him too much to leave him.

"Maybe we should go to bed and get a good night sleep" Dean finally said, ending the conversation "We need to approach this whole Sandman thing with clear heads"

"You're right" Paul said, clearing away plates "I have an 8am lecture tomorrow morning"

They tidied up the kitchen quietly, and then turned in for the night. Sam watched his brother with a sight smile on his face as they prepared for bed.

"What are you smiling about, dude?" Dean asked annoyed.

"You didn't say anything to Paul" Sam said with a shrug.

"Yeah, well, like she said, it's none of my business" He said mimicking Isabel's earlier words to him "I don't care if she tells him or not"

"Yes you do" Sam said "You want her to be happy, and he makes her happy"

Dean snorted and reached for the lamp switch "Yeah, whatever dude. Go to sleep"

In the darkness Sam's smile widened and he relaxed on the bed. Maybe things could still turn out smoothly. He wondered what Isabel would be like in the morning. Hopefully a good night's sleep would be enough for her anger to subside.

Sam looked at the clock again for the fifth time the next morning as he sat at the kitchen table. It was after nine and neither Paul nor Isabel had gotten up yet. He wondered if they'd slept through the alarm. As far as he knew they both had to work that day. Dean wondered into the kitchen and looked at his brother curiously.

"Have they already left?"

"No, they haven't gotten up yet"

"I though Paul had a lecture this morning" Dean said heading straight for the coffee machine.

As perfect timing would have it, the phone rang. Sam picked it up and a concerned frown crossed his face. It was the History department at the university. They wanted to know where Paul was. He'd never turned up for his lecture. Sam put the phone back in the receiver and turned to Dean.

"That was Paul's work. He was supposed to be there an hour ago"

"Maybe one of us should wake them up" Dean suggested "Wanna flip a coin of go for rock, paper, scissors?"

Sam rolled his eyes and stood up "I'll go"

He headed towards Paul and Isabel's bedroom and tapped on the door. After knocking three times and getting no response he decided to go in. He opened the door slowly and poked his head in. The room was dark, but there was enough light coming through the closed blinds to let him know his cousin and her boyfriend were still sound asleep.

"Bel?" he called out "Isabel?"

She stirred at the sound and turned her head towards him, her eyes adjusting and focusing on her cousin standing at the door.

"Mmmwhat?' she mumbled out.

"It's after nine" He said as he took another reluctant step in "Paul's work rang"

Her face turned sharply to the alarm clock and she groaned "Oh crap!" She shifted again towards Paul and shook him "Paul, wake up. Sam, can you open the blinds?"

"Sure" He said, stepping fully into the bedroom and letting the sunshine in as he pulled open the curtains. Light flooded the room but Paul didn't even stir.

"Paul!" Isabel said louder now as she pulled the cover from him and pushed at his shoulder "Paul, we've slept through the alarm, we're late for work, come on get up bef…"

Sam turned to them sharply as he heard his cousin gasp "Bel?"

She didn't hear him, too frantic as she ran her hand through Paul's hair and stared at her palm in despair. Sam moved closer and noticed with a jolt what had shocked Isabel into silence. Sand.

"Oh God no" She whispered out, before her tone took on a note of desperation and she shook Paul violently in an effort to wake him "Paul! Paul, please honey, wake up! Paul!"

Sam leaned over the sleeping man and checked his pulse. He was alive, breathing, but gave no indication that he could hear Isabel screaming at him to wake up. He turned his eyes to his cousin just as her own rose to meet his. Her expression was one of devastation, and his heart constricted at seeing the hopelessness and anguish in her eyes. She looked like a child wanting to be told that this wasn't happening.

Her bottom lip quivered as she looked up at Sam with tears in her eyes, her voice a strangled whisper "Sam?"

XXXXX

Please review. Pretty please?


	14. Tick Tock

AN: I've had the hardest time these last three days trying to upload this chapter. Something strange is going on with the document manager. In the end I had to do something a little dodgy, hopefully it worked. Well, if you're reading this, it worked.

I apologize for the terrible delay. I've got the next chapter done so you won't have to wait long for that. In fact, the next few chapters will come out a little quicker. Promise. Let me know what you think and if you like the story so far. Toodles, AT.

XXXXXXX

Isabel sat in the hospital waiting room, the scene reminiscent of only a couple of days earlier when Betty had been in the same position. The same feeling of loss, confusion and despair on the young woman's face. She'd jumped into the ambulance with Paul, unwilling to leave his side for even a second and as always oblivious to protests by paramedics, until they reached the hospital and doctors took him away. In her frantic state, she didn't really hear what they were saying, didn't understand what they were going to do. All she knew was that where Paul was being taken, she couldn't follow.

Sam and Dean followed the ambulance as closely as they could without getting pulled over by the police, rushing through the emergency room doors just as the doctors were wheeling Paul away. Isabel stood dumbfounded, staring after the swinging doors Paul had disappeared through; they wanted an emergency contact, a next of kin. In an emotionless voice Isabel managed to mumble something about Pamela, Paul's sister, handing her cell over to Sam to make the call.

Pamela arrived half an hour later, in a similar flurry of panic, demanding to talk to the doctors immediately. Seven months into her second pregnancy and with hormones running rampant through her body, the hospital staff knew better than to piss her off. With Isabel out of it, Pamela filled Sam and Dean on what the doctors said. Just as they'd suspected though, they had no answers. The scans hadn't shown anything and now they were waiting on results of drug screens and blood work. Just like Al, Michelle and Stephanie, it seemed Paul was just sleeping. All there was left for them to do now was wait.

"She hasn't said anything in almost two hours" Pamela said to Sam and Dean, with a worried glance towards Isabel "I can't get through to her"

Dean looked at the older woman, wondering if she wouldn't be taking the situation as hard as Isabel if she truly knew what Paul being locked in a continuous dream state might mean. Isabel, on the other hand, had dealt with enough supernatural events to know that just because Paul was now in a hospital being taken care of by doctors, didn't necessarily mean that he would be fine. She'd also lost people she'd loved before, and if Paul were to not survive this, Isabel knew very well what kind of heartache she would be in for.

"I'll go" He said, slowly making his way over to his cousin.

He joined her in the waiting room and took a seat next to her. There were a few other people there, but for that moment, it might as well have just been the two of them there. In a hospital waiting room, everybody is lost in their own horrifying thoughts to pay any attention to the people next to them.

Her only acknowledgment to his presence was a deep drawn out sigh. He watched her face closely, and recognized her expression immediately. He knew her well, and he'd seen it before. She didn't want to talk, she didn't want to hear him say that Paul was going to be just fine, which was undoubtedly what Pamela would have spent the last two hours droning out to her. He held his open palm to her, and she looked at it for a second before a faint smile crossed her lips and she reached out with her own. She took his hand and entwined her fingers with his, grasping him firmly in a tight squeeze of gratitude for this small, but invaluable offering of comfort.

"We have to figure this out now, Dean" She said, her voice strained but steady "Michelle died this morning"

He let out a deep breath. Things had shifted now, people were dying, and in his mind he could have sworn a clock started ticking. The young mother had been fit and healthy, and she'd only lasted a week.

"Are you willing to go with the Sandman theory on this?" He asked.

"I'll go with anything you suggest right now" She said "I'll go with Santa Claus if you think it's a possibility"

A pause.

"Did you hear or see anything last night?"

The doctors had already asked her all of this, though for entirely different purposes. They hadn't been interested in a supernatural presence in the room. They hadn't asked her if she'd seen any lights, heard any footsteps or seen a real life incarnation of the Sandman at the foot of her bed. No, the questions were different. Had Paul made any noises in his sleep throughout the night? Any moaning? Labored breathing? Gasping? Had he twitched, or jerked? Had he taken any medication? Different questions. The answer was still the same.

She shook her head "No"

"He would have had to break in through the window" Dean continued "Are you sure? You heard nothing?"

She hesitated for a couple of beats.

"I took a sleeping pill last night" She said and swallowed past the lump in her throat "I was tired from the night before, I was upset about our fight and…I just…I wanted to sleep"

Dean nodded in understanding. He knew her sleeping pills knocked her out and made her sleep deeply, obliterating any possible nightmares she might otherwise have. After the last two days, filled with both tension and excitement, she would have needed a good night's sleep.

"I didn't tell him anything" He said at length.

She smiled at him "I know" Her smile crumbled and her eyes filled with tears "I didn't kiss him goodnight. I kiss him goodnight every night, but last night I was angry and upset and…I didn't"

"Bel…"

"God! I do this _every_ time!" She hissed out in frustration "Why can't I swallow my stupid pride and…just let it go? I have to make such a big drama out of everything!"

"Bel…" he started.

"I'm just so stubborn! So pigheaded!"

"Isabel!" His tone was firm and she seemed to focus back to the here and now "Don't blame yourself for this. I know you're upset, but this isn't helping"

"What do we do?" She asked. This was what she needed someone to take over and tell her what to do. Orders. Orders were good. Enough wallowing, she needed to pull herself together now.

"Here's what we're going to do" He said, resolute and reassuring "You are going to stay here and get as much as you can from the doctors. About Paul, Al and Stephanie. Anything you can find out"

"And you?"

"I'll go back to your place with Sam and Missouri and take a good look around" He said giving her a significant look, filled with unsaid words. He didn't want to spell it out in the small room with other people present "We'll see if we find anything to…explain what happened"

She nodded emphatically and sniffed back her tears. Now in much better control of herself. Crying and blaming herself were really going to get her nowhere right now, and she knew the best thing for her was to keep her mind occupied on ways to help rather than on ways in which it could all go wrong. Dean was right. Best to get right into it and work together on this. Together, they could figure it out. She knew they could.

"Call me if you find anything" She said.

"You too" He said standing up to leave.

"Dean?" She called him back. He turned to her "Thanks…for being here"

He smiled gently and leaned over to place a kiss on top of her head, bringing his lips to her ear and whispering softly "You hang in there kitten, we'll sort this out, you'll see"

He walked back to where Sam was standing with Pamela. They were watching him expectantly, and he wondered what exactly they expected him to say.

"And?" Sam asked.

"She's doing better" Dean said "She's going to stay here and keep talking to the doctors. I told her we'll head back to her place and get some stuff together for her and Paul. Some clothes, her phone, her purse. We should call Missouri too"

"I'll stay here with her" Pamela said, as if she'd just reached that decision.

Dean stared at her for a moment. Had she really thought there was an alternative? As if they were going to drag around a pregnant woman with them! He almost laughed.

"That's probably a good idea" Dean said instead of the _well duh_ that had almost escaped his lips.

"Give us a call if anything changes, Pam" Sam said, more diplomatically than his older brother "You've got my number"

"Go on" She said, heading off towards Isabel "I'll sit with her"

Sam waved gently at his cousin, who responded with a weak wave of her own. When he turned, Dean had already started walking down the corridor towards the exit. He reached him as they stepped out into the crisp sunlit morning. He looked at his watch. It was almost noon .

" Missouri ?" Sam asked Dean as they stood at either side of the Impala.

Dean nodded " Missouri " he said stepping in.

The trip to Missouri 's house took about fifteen minutes and it took them only five to tell her what had happened. The psychic was troubled. Pamela was her client, and Isabel her surrogate daughter. She wondered how they were coping. Dean informed her that they were both together at the hospital.

"I should go too" She said standing up.

"No" Dean cut in. The woman turned to him questioningly "First we should check their house. Isabel said she didn't hear or see anything. But something had to have been in that room"

The three drove down to Isabel and Paul's house, and just like they'd done with Al and Betty's place, they searched for clues. The bedroom was the place of interest, and the three wondered around quietly as they sifted every nook and cranny for something. Anything.

The sand from the bed, though not great in terms of quantity, trailed off towards the window. Just like Dean had suspected, whatever or whoever was responsible for Paul's condition, had come in through the window. He looked around carefully, at the pane, the sill, the glass. No footprints or fingerprints anywhere, but the latch was broken. The window had been forced open. Someone had broken in through the window, and not one of them heard it. There was a greater quantity of sand around the window too.

"OK then, lets break it down" Dean said "I think it's definitely the Sandman, or some sort of variation of the Sandman. Do we agree?"

Missouri and Sam nodded "Yes" They said.

"And there's sand around and the window lock is broken" Dean continued "so he obviously has a physical form"

"That's good" Sam said "It means we can hunt it and kill it. It also means someone has to be summoning it"

"A dark presence was here recently" Missouri said as she stood over the bed and let the energy of the room go through her "Though, not entirely evil"

"I guess that depends on your definition of evil" Dean said snidely "Michelle's dead, so I don't think whatever it is we're dealing with here is handing out good intentions"

"I'm just telling you what I feel" Missouri countered "And I don't feel that whatever was here last night is pure evil"

"Well, it's still going to die" Dean said raising his voice "It may not be evil but whoever is summoning it is and they have to be stopped!"

"The first thing we need to do is find the missing link" Sam interrupted.

"This is terrible" Missouri said taking a seat on the bed "First Betty's husband, now Paul"

"Yes, that hasn't escaped my attention" Dean said.

So far the only link they had was in fact, Missouri . She knew both Al and Paul. Dean wondered if the thought had entered Sam's mind. From his stunned expression, Dean figured it hadn't.

The psychic turned and pinned him with a glare, visibly outraged by his indirect accusation "What do you mean by that?"

Dean didn't back down "Did you know Michelle and Stephanie too?"

"You want to help your cousin? You want to help these people?" She asked angrily as she stood "Then you've got to do better than that, boy! Don't start by grasping at straws"

She walked out in a huff, leaving Sam in the room with Dean, to do the glaring.

"You really think Missouri 's involved?" Sam asked skeptically.

"No" Dean said petulantly "but we can't ignore that so far she's the only link we've found. Even if she's not involved, she's the only lead we've got"

"Think we should find out if Stephanie and Michelle have any connection with Missouri ? A connection she might not even know about?"

"Michelle just died, so I don't think her husband will be in the mood to talk to us. I think our best bet here is Stephanie. Let's go talk to her friends and see what they can tell us"

They headed back into the kitchen as Missouri started making coffee. She was still angry but softened when Dean apologized to her. Sam plugged in his laptop and set it on the kitchen table, looking up Stephanie's details. It proved to be easier than they'd expected. Stephanie Kowalczyk happened to be a freshman at the university campus. Most of the web pages that popped up were in relation to her involvement in the college paper and participation in pep rallies. She was taking mostly journalism subjects, political science and, Sam noticed with curiosity, American history.

"Dean, check this out" He said urgently, pointing to the paragraph in her profile at the paper's website.

Dean read the text in silence "Well, I'll be damned" He said "She's one of Paul's students"


	15. Pillow Fights and Wet Willies

AN: Thank you so much to every one reviewing, and every one still reading, of course. Toodles, AT.

XXXXXX

Clarissa Riviera was only too happy to talk to the Winchesters. Not at all discretely, she took Dean's arm and with a wink led him and Sam down the steps of sorority house where she shared a room with Stephanie Kowalkcyk. They walked onto the street toward the university campus. The sky was clear and the sun had warmed up the afternoon considerably.

"I have a lecture in half an hour" She said batting her eyelashes as she walked between Sam and Dean "We can talk while we walk. You mind?"

"No, it's fine" Sam said.

"It's a beautiful day to be out, right?" Another flirty smile.

"Yeah" Dean said looking around him absently "It's…sunny"

She giggled "So, you're from the Wichita Eagle? That's pretty cool. Steph's gonna be totally bummed she missed you. Is this for like, a job interview with the paper or something?"

"Something like that" Dean said, going along with Clarissa's assumption "We heard about her being in the hospital though"

Clarissa's expression sobered as she thought of her roommate's condition. Her dark eyebrows furrowed and concern crossed her pretty face.

"Yeah, it's the weirdest thing" She said shaking her head "It's like she's in a coma or something. Since last Wednesday. She was still sleeping when I came home. I just couldn't wake her up, so I rang 911"

"Did she take something?" Dean already knew she hadn't, but Clarissa would find it strange if that wasn't the first question he asked. Just as he predicted the girls shook her head vehemently.

"Oh, God no! Not Stephanie" She said fervently "She didn't do anything like that. Trust me it wasn't drugs. Anyway, I heard there's like, a whole bunch of people at the hospital just like her"

"Really?" Sam asked, wondering how the girl had found out.

"Rumors spread like wildfire around here" She said, then lowered her voice "You might have a story there, right?"

"Anything else you can tell us?"

"About Steph in general or…?"

"Did you find anything else that Wednesday?"

"No" She said "I came home after my morning lecture and noticed she was still in bed. On Wednesday mornings she has one of her political science tutorials. It wasn't like her; she never misses those, so I tried to wake her up. I just couldn't. It was like she…couldn't hear me or something"

"You don't seem too worried" Sam pointed out.

"She's just sleeping right?" Clarissa said defensively "the doctors said it's probably related to stress or something. That girl never sleeps. I think she has like, insomnia. Bet you it all just caught up with her. She's been through a bit of a rough patch lately .Working, studying, the break up"

"Break up?"

"Yeah, she broke up with her boyfriend about a month ago" She said "It hit her pretty hard"

"Would he be able to tell us anything?"

"Spencer?" Clarissa raised her eyebrows and snorted humourlessly "He wouldn't know squat! He won't give a damn anyway"

"Why do you say that?"

"Spencer left Steph for another woman" She said, practically spitting out his name and wincing like it had left a bitter taste in her mouth "For a married woman. Way older…I don't get it"

"She took it pretty hard?"

Her eyes narrowed at Dean "Are you suggesting she may have done this to herself?" She shook her head again and her dark curls bounced around her head "No way, she was into Spencer, but not _that_ much. He is a selfish ass, she accepted that"

"And she knew about this other woman?"

"Yeah, the bastard actually told her" She said.

"Do you know her name?"

She looked from Sam to Dean and laughed again "You reporters are a strange bunch" She said "Just like Steph. Always asking the weirdest questions"

"You never know what makes the story" Sam said.

She smiled at him and nodded "I guess" She seemed to concentrate for a moment "Her name…something pretentious like…Michelle or…Rochelle or something. Does that help?"

XXXXXXXXX

"Is this all of it?"

Isabel rummaged through the large briefcase, overflowing with files and papers. She pulled one out. Some German caricature of what she assumed was a European impression of what the Sandman might look like.

"That's all Paul's research on the Sandman" Missouri said, pulling out two small electronic devices from her purse "His electronic diary and phone"

Isabel took them from her and sat back down on the hospital chair next to Paul's bed. Half an hour ago the doctors had told her she was allowed to see him, and that's where Missouri had found her when she was dropped off at the hospital, while Sam and Dean headed off to talk to Stephanie's roommate.

Isabel grabbed Paul's phone and scrolled down the list of recent contacts. There were no unusual calls leading to the night before. She looked through the appointments on his PDA. Nothing unusual there either. She wrote down his schedule for the last two days.

"That's a lot of reading" She said looking at the intimidating pile of files with dread. Where was Sam when you needed him? "What are the boys doing?"

"They're going to follow up on Stephanie" Missouri said, carefully choosing her next words "She was taking Paul's class at the university"

Isabel's head snapped up instantly and she swallowed uneasily "That kind of coincidence makes me edgy" She glanced at Paul's sleeping form.

"Rightly so"

XXXXXX

Michelle. Michelle. The name kept repeating itself in Dean's mind, and from Sam's frown he could tell his brother thought this too be too big a coincidence also. Granted, Michelle was not the most unusual of names; but still, older, married, Michelle. It was certainly worth looking into. The drive to Spencer's fraternity house wasn't long, and hadn't really given him and Sam time to work on their angle of approach. He felt the best way to go was honest, just blurt out the truth and don't beat around the bush. Element of surprise.

Surprise, had been an understatement. Spencer Cartwright was just on his way out when Sam and Dean arrived at the house. One of his housemates pointed him out to them as Spencer literally ran down stairs and headed for the front door.

"Yo Spence!" His friend called out to the young man from the other side of the room "Some dudes here to see you"

Perfect picture of a college athlete. Tall, muscular, tanned Spencer turned curiously to Sam and Dean; his face was a mask of artificial politeness, and he glanced at his watch before addressing them.

"Yeah, look, can this wait? I'm actually on my way out" He said quickly, taking another half step towards the door.

"In a hurry?" Dean asked him calmly.

"As a matter of fact I am" Spencer replied "I have a friend at the hospital"

"Michelle?" Dean blurted, and together with Sam, waited for a reaction.

They got it. Spencer's tanned skin paled a few shades and the keys he'd been holding in his hand fell to the floor with a clang.

"Who are you?" He asked.

"I'm Dean Winchester, this is my brother Sam" Dean explained "Someone we know is at the hospital too. We're just trying to figure out what's going on"

"How did you find out about her?"

"Stephanie's roommate, Clarissa" Sam said "She told us about your relationship with Michelle"

"You think I had something to do with this because I know both of them?" he said "Why would I want to hurt Michelle?"

"What about Stephanie?"

"What about her? Listen, the break up wasn't smooth, but I'd never hurt her either" He said "We broke up over a month ago"

"You know Michelle was married?"

"Yeah, I knew…" Spencer stopped for a moment, then narrowed his eyes at Sam "What do you mean… was?"

"Michelle died this morning"

Right in front of them, Spencer Cartwright, a selfish ass and a bastard,as Clarissa had so confidently dubbed him, broke down into a sobbing mess.

XXXXXX

It was eight o' clock by the time Sam and Dean, with Missouri and Isabel in the backseat of the Impala, headed back home. Isabel was still sulking for being told by the hospital staff that visiting hours were over and she had to leave. Pamela had gone home to her husband and son two hours earlier at six, leaving Isabel in the capable hands of her cousins and Missouri.

Isabel agreed to Missouri's suggestion that she take a shower and change, while she volunteered to prepare dinner for them. When Isabel came out of the shower, Missouri had left, and Sam stood in the kitchen alone, intently watching the oven. He looked up at her as she walked in.

"Apparently, all I have to do is take it out in ten minutes" He said, holding up the oven mittens in his hand and pointing at the oven "Pasta bake"

"Where's Dean?"

"He took Missouri home"

She nodded and began to set the table. Dean arrived right as Sam pulled the piping hot tray out of the oven and the three sat down to eat. Isabel stared blankly at her plate, every now and then her gaze drifting to the fourth empty place at the table. It was strange, it sort of felt like old times, when she'd been on the road with her cousins and it had just been the three of them. Except she felt something missing. Paul.

"You're not leaving the table until you finish your dinner"

She was startled out of her reverie and looked at Sam, almost bursting out in laughter at his attempt at authority.

"Sorry, I just…I'm not really hungry"

"Yes you are" Sam said "Your brain's just too preoccupied with other things to let you know. Eat"

"Yes dad" She said in mock obedience as she began to eat. That first taste was all she needed to realize that, yes, she was in fact hungry "So, you think this Spencer guy might be involved?"

"I'm not sure" Sam said contemplating their sole suspect "Probably not. According to Spencer, Michelle's husband knew about the affair"

"And the ones before it" Dean added.

"There were others?" Isabel asked.

"He says neither Michelle nor Gordon were faithful to each other anymore"

"The fact that he didn't' mention they were having problems when you spoke to him, does that seem odd to you?" Isabel asked.

"Not really" Sam said with a shrug "It's not something _I'd _discuss with strangers"

"He might have known about the affairs, but how he_ felt_ about them is a different story" Dean pointed out.

Isabel nodded "Maybe he wasn'tOK with them"

Sam shook his head "Explains Michelle, not Stephanie"

"Let alone Al and Paul" Dean said.

Isabel put her fork down and took a deep breath "OK, let's think about this. Missouri is the connection between Paul and Al. Stephanie and Michelle have Spencer in common, and Stephanie is one of Paul's students. That covers all of them"

"But nothing ties the four of them together" Sam said "It could just all be a big coincidence"

Isabel stared at her younger cousin dubiously across the table.

"I can't even _pretend_ to believe that, Sam" She said.

"Yeah, I don't buy it either" Dean agreed.

"OK, then what is it that we _do_ know?"

"Michelle was the first victim" Dean said "How did that happen?"

"We need to talk to her husband, Gordon" Sam said "If he's hiding something, now is the time to push him"

Dean nodded and turned to Isabel "Paul is the latest, what about _him_?"

"Well, he spent the weekend moving and planning the party with Missouri" She started "Apart from his usual lectures, on Monday he had a meeting with the curator of the History Museum at the university about a new exhibit, and on Tuesday he had a couple of interviews"

"Interviews?"

"For a history book on World War II" She explained "He's doing a chapter on the impact of the war on American society today. They must be some of the experts he's consulting with, I'm guessing"

"Names?" Dean asked.

In anticipation, she'd already written them down on a piece of paper and she pulled it out of her pajama pocket and handed it over to Dean.

"Anything on the Sandman?" Sam asked.

"Not really" She said with a frown as she tilted her head towards the briefcase "They're all stories, with minimal details. But I was thinking that if it's anything like the Hookman, then we're probably looking for an object which would be the source of his power"

"Likely" Sam said to her "First things first though. Tomorrow, you should stay at the hospital and talk to Stephanie's parents, find out anything you can. Dean and I will talk to these men, starting with Michelle's husband"

Bedtime brought a whole world of reality crashing down, and Isabel stared at the large empty bed she shared with Paul with dread from the other side of the room. She turned immediately around and walked into her cousins' room. Dean was laying on the bed, over the blankets, his back against the headboard as he checked his voicemail for messages. He looked up at her with curious eyes as she rushed into the room.

"Everything OK, kitten?"

She looked at Sam's empty bed. She could hear the shower running down the hall. She slowly walked over to it and took a seat, facing Dean.

"I don't want to sleep by myself" She admitted with a timid shrug.

"Want me to sleep with you?" He asked, and then rolled his eyes as she let out a laugh "You know what I mean"

Serious now "I don't actually think I can sleep in that room tonight, Dean"

He nodded in understanding "Not a problem, we'll make Sam take the couch, you can stay here with me"

"You know what I miss?"

"What?"

"The three of us sleeping in the same room" She said with an excited smile as she recalled those days "Like on our road trip!"

He sighed and rolled his eyes again, this time a faint smile on his face as he lifted the covers slightly and tilted his head towards her. Isabel didn't need further invitation as she stood up from Sam's bed in a flash and climbed in with her older cousin.

"Just promise you won't jump me"

She looked at him with a horrified expression "You're disgusting!"

"Your friend Tracy doesn't think so"

"That's because she doesn't know you the way I do"

"Nope, she knows me in an entirely different way" He said wriggling his eyebrows.

She pulled the pillow from under him and started beating him repeatedly with it 'You're gross!"

"Stop that!" He cried, shielding his face with a raised arm "That's it, you asked for it!"

Without another warning he put his forefinger in his mouth, pulling out the wet digit again and inserting it in her ear. She tried to pull away as she shrieked in disgust, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her closer, wriggling his finger in her ear and around her earlobe.

"Ewww!" She squealed in a fit of giggles "Gross!"

"Bedtime children!"

Dean and Isabel froze, as the turned towards the voice. Sam stood with arms crossed at the door, an amused grin on his face as he shook his head at the juvenile couple. They hadn't even heard him come in.

"I'm sleeping here tonight" Isabel said, settling back down on the bed as she absently wiped her ear with her hand "With the both of you"

"OK" He said climbing onto his own bed.

Isabel lied down and looked up at Dean as he returned his attention to his phone "What?" He asked noticing she was staring at him.

"You made me laugh" She said simply "Thanks"

He ruffled her hair with his free hand and smiled "Anytime"

"Anything from your dad?" She asked.

He looked at the phone and flipped it shut, setting it down on the bedside table between his bed and Sam's.

"No" He said, shifting to lie down on the bed "Let's go to sleep, long day tomorrow"


	16. Just Like Old Times

AN: Thanks for the reviews guys. Here's another chapter. Toodles, AT.

XXXXX

It wasn't until breakfast was over that Isabel could no longer block out the reality of the current situation. Waking up had been OK; Sam was already awake but still lying in bed, reading what she could discern through sluggish eyes as Paul's files, obviously trying to make some supernatural sense of what they were investigating. Dean was next to her, snoring softly as his chest rose and fell with each breath. She laughed at her older cousin and Sam looked up from his reading.

"I actually missed that sound" She said "Isn't that weird?"

"Yes, it is" Sam said softly "Sleep well?"

"Yes" She said with a glance towards Sam "Surprisingly well"

She got up and started making breakfast, wondering as Dean materialized in the kitchen just as she was serving it up, if he had some sort of internal alarm clock somehow connected to his stomach and appetite centre in his brain.

It was almost like old times; waking up together, eating breakfast, discussing the current paranormal investigation._ Almost._ She had missed moments like these with her cousins since she'd decided to give up the road and settle in Kansas, and many times she'd wondered if she regretted her decision and sometimes even wished she could have all those moments back, go back on the road, and resume their time together. But not like this. _Careful what you wish for_, her brain said.

As she cleared the breakfast dishes, she cleared those thoughts from her mind and concentrated on what they needed to do today. She would take Paul's car and go to the hospital. She would talk to the doctors and nurses to see what she could find out about the results of Michelle's autopsy. She would talk to Stephanie's family and see if they could shed some light on what was happening. The boys' first port of call would be Gordon, Michelle's husband, to find out just what he had to say about Michelle's extramarital activities.

"We'll give you a call before lunch" Dean said as Isabel jumped into Paul's SUV. He shut the door and leaned in through the driver's window "You OK?"

"Yes Dean, I'm OK" She said rolling her eyes and starting the engine. She avoided his eyes but could tell he was watching her closely. She sighed "I'll be OK once we figure this out"

"We will" He said.

She turned to him and smiled "I know we will"

She looked at the driveway behind her through the rear view mirror. Sam had started the Impala and was waiting patiently for Dean. Dean gave her a quick peck on the cheek and headed to the passenger door, jumping in as Sam stuck his hand out of the open window and waved at her as he reversed out.

Once they were driving away and Sam lost her on the rear view mirror, he and Dean drove in silence to Gordon's house. Sam was slightly nervous about talking to Gordon. The man had just lost his wife and the mother of his child, and they would have to approach with caution. Dean must have felt the same, because as they parked outside Gordon and Michelle's stately home, he turned to his younger brother with an unsure expression on his face.

"Maybe you should do most of the talking" he suggested, knowing his younger brother had a better knack for sensibility "If you feel he's hiding something important, give me a sign and I'll jump in"

"Lets just keep in mind that, broken marriage or not, the man's just lost his wife" Sam stated "And, he might not have anything to do with this"

Gordon Strandbroek turned out to be slightly more forthcoming than Dean and Sam had expected, though not as forthcoming as they had hoped. The topic of the affairs was very tactfully brought up by Sam, as a side bar to what they were actually trying to ask.

"The doctors have nothing, the police won't get involved. We're just trying to find some links here, something that connects everyone. The only thing linking your wife right now to anyone is Spencer"

"You know about that?" He asked, surprised but not as offended as a husband grieving his wife should be.

"Yeah" Sam said "Before your wife, Spencer dated Stephanie, another patient. He told us about the affair"

Gordon narrowed his eyes suspiciously "You think he may have something to do with this?"

Sam shook his head "No" He said "We just thought it was a coincidence worth checking out"

"Well, I don't think these questions are very appropriate, my wife is dead now and I don't think our dirty laundry needs to be aired out"

"What about anyone _you_ might be involved with?" Sam asked.

Gordon's expression changed and indignation marred his handsome features.

"I will absolutely not discuss that with you. This conversation is over"

Sam looked at his brother and gave Dean the go ahead to take over.

"Was your wife thinking about divorce?" Dean jumped in without preamble.

"What? No!"

"Were _you_?"

"No" He responded becoming more agitated as veins on his temple started to become engorged.

"That's strange. Your wife was having an affair, which you knew about, and you were fine with that? It wasn't her first, was it? You were having an affair too, and she knew about it"

"We had an understanding, alright?" He spat out, now slightly eager to defend his questionable behavior "Yes, I had affairs and she had hers. Her therapist, her tennis instructor, but we never entertained the idea of divorce. We were happy in our own way. I still loved her and she still loved me. We also have Kayla to think about"

"You stayed together for your daughter?" Dean asked, thinking to himself that it didn't seem like a good enough reason to stay in a broken marriage.

"Mostly, yes, but also because this arrangement worked for us, despite what you might think" He stood up and pointed an angry finger towards the front door. His command was clear and his tone edged with finality "Now, if you're done judging me, I have a funeral to organize"

They weren't going to get anything else out of that man, and so Dean and Sam nodded and walked out of his house without further comment. They stood by the car and reflected on what they'd just heard.

"An _arrangement_? An _understanding_?" Dean asked aloud as he frowned and shook his head in disbelief "What the hell is wrong with these people? Why get married at all?"

"They loved each other" Sam offered weakly, though he knew his brother was right "They had a child"

"You can't tell me this isn't really screwed up" Dean continued "Marriage is a sacred vow, and shouldn't be taken lightly like that"

"Wow, I've never heard you talk like that" Sam said with a smirk.

"I'm just saying that if I ever got married, I would have to be damn sure I could live up to those vows, and if I had the slightest doubt in my mind, I wouldn't go through with it. I wouldn't do that to someone. And I wouldn't put up with it, either"

"That's pretty romantic, in a Dean sort of way"

"Watch it, Sammy! Save the girl talk for Isabel" Dean warned "Besides, it's not like you can talk. You still won't even hit on a chick because you still feel like you're cheating on Jessica. And you two weren't even married!"

"Why are you bringing that up?"

"Because wanting to be with the only person you love with all your heart? Not wanting to be with someone you're not in love with? That's normal, Sam. But _that_… " Dean said and pointed a finger at Gordon and Michelle's house "That isn't"

"You're right" Sam said "But normal or not, I don't think Gordon had anything to do with Michelle's death"

"Me either" Dean said. They jumped in the car and drove down to the nearest diner for a much needed coffee, and to sort out their next plan of action.

XXXXXXXXX

Finding out some details about Michelle's death proved easy for Isabel. All she had to do was cry a little, put on her best concerned face and plead with a couple of the nurses, appealing to their sympathy. It worked. One of them pulled her aside into one of the corridors.

"The autopsy reports says she died of natural causes" The nurse told her "Her brain had been pretty damaged though. Overworked. Even if she had woken up, she'd have been a vegetable"

Isabel frowned, surely that couldn't have been the technical term, but more worryingly, that didn't bode well for the others still in their coma.

"What about the others?"

"Stephanie is still holding on, she's really young. Same with your boyfriend, he's doing fine" She shook her head sadly "Albert though…he doesn't have long"

Her cell rang and she excused herself, thanking the nurse for the information. It was Dean, telling her questioning Gordon hadn't really led them to any other conclusions apart from that their marriage was a complete mess.

"Seriously, they both had affairs?" She asked into the phone as she walked back into Paul's room "And they knew about them?"

"Yep" He replied "He knew about Spencer, her therapist, her tennis instructor…God knows who else"

"Oh my God" She said taking a seat next to the window "I thought that kind of crap only happened in TV"

She told him what she'd found out about Michelle, and that the autopsy had revealed nothing that they could use, and that if they didn't figure this out soon, the next person to die would be Al.

"Well, we've reached a dead end with Michelle and Stephanie, so we're going to follow up on Paul's contacts"

"Do you want me to help you out?" She offered wanting to do something helpful, yet still wanting to be near Paul "We could cover more ground if we split three ways"

"No, you stay in the hospital and talk to everyone, let us know if anything changes or if you find anything"

"Who are you going to contact first?"

"Well, Sammy's the college boy, so I'll drop him off to talk to the curator and anyone else at the museum Paul might have spoken to on Monday. I'll go talk to the war experts, Frank Bianchi and Charles Malone"

"I actually think they're both war vets" She said "They'll be pretty old by now, so be nice"

"I can be sensitive" He said defensively "By the way, do you know if Paul ever interviewed Al for his war chapter?"

"I don't' think so" She said "Al served in the Korean war, not World War II. But I can check with Betty"

"OK, we better go"

"Be careful"

XXXXXXX

Dean dropped off Sam at the University of Kansas, Lawrence campus and headed over to Charles Malone's house. He still lived with his wife of sixty years, and in true military style, the house was immaculate. The man was old, and Dean couldn't help but think that the man had one foot in the grave already. It wasn't until they were sitting down in the kitchen with two cups of tea and freshly baked cookies that Dean brought up Paul and the war. Charles Malone's eyes lit up immediately and Dean could have sworn that he'd shed twenty years right before his eyes. He recounted war stories in incredible detail with zealous enthusiasm, and Dean became enraptured. He looked at his watch and realized he'd been talking to Charles for two and a half hours.

He excused himself and headed over to Frank Bianchi's house, completely convinced that Charles Malone had nothing to do with the Sandman and apart from Paul, had no connection whatsoever to any of the victims. As he approached the address Isabel had written out for him, he pulled over and double checked it. The address wasn't a house, but rather what appeared to be a business in a small office block on the outskirts of the town centre. The address was right, and as he reached the front door to the offices, he read the professionally engraved names. Each name next to a buzzer and a large speaker and he stopped at Dr Frank Bianchi's. He raised his eyebrows, impressed that the man was still a practicing doctor at his age.

He was about to press on the buzzer next to the doctor's name when someone exited the building, and he didn't waste the opportunity to slide in before the doors shut. The corridor was narrow and poorly lit, and it struck him as odd that it appeared to be deserted. There was a questionable accounting firm first on his right, and an abandoned legal firm on his left. Dr Bianchi's office was at the end, next to a wedding photographer's studio. He walked into the doctor's office and immediately a middle aged, harsh looking receptionist lifted her gaze and gave him a suspicious look.

"May I help you?" She asked, completely devoid of emotion.

"I'd like to speak to Dr Bianchi please" He said.

She looked down at the appointment book before her and raised a single over-plucked eyebrow at him as she haughtily appraised him again.

"Do you have an appointment?" She asked knowing full well he didn't.

"No" he said trying to hold on to his good manners "But it's very important that I speak to him. It's in regards to Dr Paul Rhoades, I don't know if you're aware, but he is currently in a coma and Dr Bianchi was one of the last people he spoke to. I only need to speak to him briefly"

He gave her one of his sweet smiles and was slightly surprised it worked on her. Her face softened and she pursed her lips as she seemed to have come to some sort of decision.

"Just wait here" She said standing up and stepping softly through a door beside her desk.

She shut it behind her and Dean heard another door shut. A few moments later she returned, leaving the door open for him as she gestured to it with a tilt of her head.

"Go straight in" She said.

"Thank you" He said looking down at the name plate on her desk before rewarding her help with another charming smile "Miss Fulham"

He walked through the door into what looked like a small waiting room. It was empty and there were only two chairs and a small table with a few magazines on top. The door shut behind him, but before he had a chance to look back, another door opened in front of him. A middle aged man stood in front of him and with a friendly smile he held out his hand.

"How may I help you?" He asked.

"You're Frank Bianchi?" Dean asked unsurely as he shook his hand.

The man in front of him looked to be only about fifty, maybe sixty years old and in extraordinarily good shape too, even for that age. His hair was dark and full, only slightly graying at the sides. He was tall, slim with masculine features and he reminded Dean of Robert DeNiro. Either Paul had fallen miserably short on his research or Frank Bianchi was the youngest-looking eighty year old Dean had ever met.

The doctor looked at him strangely and smiled, moving aside to let him into his office.

"Yes" He said "Why?"

"I thought Paul was interviewing World War II veterans for the book" Dean said, walking into small but well furnished room "I expected you to be older"

The doctor laughed heartily and shut the door to the office "Dr Rhoades made the same mistake, though it's understandable. Frank Bianchi was, in fact, in World War II. I'm Frank Junior. Frank Bianchi, was my father"

"Oh" Dean said in understanding. He looked at the doctor again "Was?"

"Yes" Frank Bianchi said, his expression sobering up "My father died in 1945. I never actually met him"

"I'm sorry" Dean said.

"It's OK. It was a long time ago" He said offhandedly with a casual wave of his hand, though it seemed to Dean it was somewhat strained. Frank Bianchi took a seat behind his desk and pressed a button on the intercom "Gladys?"

"Yes, Dr Bianchi?" The receptionist voice crackled over the speaker.

"Do I have any more appointments for the day?"

"No doctor"

"Excellent" he said "Gladys you can go home then. I'll close up here once I'm done"

"OK doctor. See you tomorrow"

Dean stood in the middle of the office and looked around curiously. He noticed a large couch on his right; it looked incredibly comfortable and next to it was a chesterfield recliner. There was a large bookcase on the far wall and as far as he could tell, no medical supplies. Of course, Dean thought to himself, Frank Bianchi Jr. was a shrink.

"Please take a seat Mr..."

Dean looked back startled "Winchester, Dean Winchester"

"Take a seat Dean"

"Thank you" Dean said, taking a seat across from the man's desk "I came to talk to you about what's happened to Paul"

"Yes, I heard what happened to Dr Rhoades" he said with a sad shake of his head "It's a crying shame"

XXXXXXX

"How are you holding up, Betty?" Isabel asked as she sat next to the desperate woman in Al's hospital room.

"I can't believe there's nothing they can do" Betty said as tears struggled to break free "Have the boys found anything yet?"

Isabel shook her head, swallowing tears of her own "They're going to talk to some of the people Paul was interviewing for his chapter on a book about war, but if nothing turns out there, then I'm afraid we don't really have anything to go on"

"Al was in the war, did you know?"

"Yeah, Missouri mentioned it" Isabel said "But not World War II"

"No, the Korean War" Betty replied "His father was in World War II"

"Really?"

"Yes, but…he didn't like to talk about that" Betty said "Even after his nightmares, he didn't like to talk about it"

"Nightmares?"

"Yes, terrible nightmares, he would have" Betty said looking at her husband worriedly.

"About his experience in the war?"

"Not just that, but also about his own father" Betty explained "Not long ago, when his mother died, Al found some of his father's war journals. They were stationed somewhere in Germany, and Al's father was the leader of his regiment. Al found out that he and some of his men had become involved with the Nazis, they were corrupted. Stealing anything of value from villages and houses they invaded. Taking bribes for their silence. When they were caught, Al's father used one of his men as a scapegoat. Turned him in. Poor soldier was killed"

"By whom?"

"It doesn't say in the journals, but Al thought maybe his father did, or at the very least knew. Someone needed to shut him up"

"He only just found this out?"

"Yes, Al always thought his father to be a hero, and this completely devastated him" Betty said as tears fell down her cheeks "He started having his nightmares again. I begged him to go see a doctor, to get some help"

"Did he?"

"Yes, but then…"

"But then what?"

Betty laughed through her tears "If I tell you, you won't believe me"

"Trust me Betty" Isabel said "I've heard some pretty crazy stuff in the past"

"Al's been seeing a psychologist for a few years, and two months ago when discovered his dad's journal…" She shook her head before continuing "He found out that the young soldier, the one his father betrayed and possibly killed, was actually his father"

"The therapist's father?"

"Yes, isn't that incredible?"

"Uh, yeah" Isabel said in disbelief "Did he say something?"

"Yes, Al felt so guilty that he told him" Betty said "But, Frank was angry and he…"

"Wait a minute" Isabel said pulling out Paul's electronic diary out of her purse "Frank?"

"Yes, Frank"

"Frank who, Betty?" Isabel asked urgently as she opened the page to the appointments Paul had on Tuesday "Frank Bianchi?"

Betty stared at Isabel in shock "You know him?"


	17. Group Therapy

AN: We're about halfway through this story, although this Sandman thing is almost done. Please keep reading and reviewing. Toodles, AT.

XXXXX

Isabel ran down the hospital corridor as fast as her legs could take her, rushing into Stephanie's room without knocking. A man and woman sat on either side of the young girl's bed, and both turned in surprise at the abrupt intrusion. Isabel only hesitated for a moment as to how to begin the conversation.

"Mr. and Mrs. Kowalzcyk?"

"Yes" The man responded with a glance towards his wife "I'm Harold"

"My name is Isabel Bennett, I'm Paul's girlfriend" She explained "He's a couple of rooms down the hall"

The man nodded in recognition.

"Oh, of course" He said "Yes, we've seen you around, haven't we Diane?"

The woman seemed to finally have come out of her stupor.

"Yes. Hello dear" She said with a kind smile, though her eyes never shed the worry and concern for her daughter "Is there anything we can help you with?"

"I'm trying to find out if there is anything linking Paul, Stephanie and Albert together, something that might explain what is happening and, I was wondering…" Isabel stopped then decided that no matter how she phrased it or how she asked it, it would sound strange "Was Stephanie seeing a therapist?"

Harold Kowalzcyk's face froze immediately and he regarded Isabel with an icy stare.

"What the hell kind of a question is that?"

"I'm so sorry sir, but I wouldn't ask if I didn't think it was important" She pleaded though she could see the man's glacial resolve was not thawing "Please, can you tell me anything?"

"I can tell you right now to get the hell out of this room, young lady" He said in a definitive tone that left no room for argument "Perhaps you should go back to your boyfriend, instead of asking these ridiculous questions"

Isabel knew the man would not be open to any further conversation. She chanced a glance towards Diane and locked eyes with the grief-stricken woman. She was watching her unsurely, and Isabel could tell there was something she knew, but with her husband present she was unwilling to speak up. Isabel gave her one last pleading look before turning around and walking back out of that room. She was halfway down to Paul's room when she heard her name called out.

"Isabel"

Isabel turned around to find Diane walking towards her.

"Mrs. Kowalczyk"

"Diane, call me Diane" The woman said in a soft tone.

Isabel waited for the woman to speak, but Diane just looked at her in silence.

"I'm sorry again about before" Isabel said "I was just trying to get some answers. I realize it was inappropriate to ask…"

"It's OK, dear" Diane said, placing a reassuring hand on Isabel's shoulder "It's just that my husband… he's not handling this well at all"

"I understand, Diane. I can't imagine how you must feel"

"You asked something back there" Diane said "About Stephanie"

"Yes, Diane" Isabel saw her opening with this woman in front of her "I was wondering if Stephanie was seeing a therapist"

"She wasn't"

Isabel's shoulders slumped. The missing link she'd thought she'd found turned out to be nothing.

"Oh"

"Well, she had for a while, but she stopped seeing him months ago. She was actually just about to file a lawsuit against him" Diane stopped as she wondered if she should divulge this, then went on "I'm not sure if it's even worth mentioning"

"It might be" Isabel's interest perked up "Why was she going to sue him?"

"She found out he was using hypnotherapy on his patients without their consent or knowledge. He did it to her in one of their sessions. Afterwards she couldn't sleep. Ironic, isn't it? That now she can't wake up?"

"Hypnotherapy?"

"Yes, some experimental form of it" Diane said "She was in the middle of writing a story about it too. She was going to expose him"

"Do you know his name, Diane?" Isabel asked and braced herself for the answer.

The woman's eyes focused on a spot behind Isabel's shoulders as she searched her mind for the name. The exact moment she remembered Isabel took a deep breath and swallowed, for some reason hoping that it would not be the name she was expecting.

"Frank Bianchi"

XXXXXXX

"Those are beautiful" Dean stood from his chair and walked over to a decorative shelf on the wall behind the doctor's desk "Crystal?"

He picked up one of the figurines. It was the size of a fist, shaped like a dragon, and a beautiful forest green color.

"Thank you" The doctor said stealthily walking over to stand next to Dean as he admired his precious collection "They're glass, actually"

Dean set the dragon down and picked up another one, studying it more closely. It was larger, about five inches in height, the glass had been color-treated. It was dark, almost black, and shaped like a menacing figure, wearing a cloak or a cape. Dean's immediate thought was that it was shaped like a demon, but figured his brain just jumped to that initial conclusion by virtue of what he dealt with every day. No matter what it was though, Dean was sure it was sinister looking.

"This one's interesting" He pointed out as he glanced at the doctor.

"Priceless, that one is. Fourteenth century Venetian glass. My father found it in Germany during the war. Hand-crafted and hand-painted" The doctor explained "They all are. They're all from different countries too. I collect them"

"Germany, huh?" Dean asked, setting it back "Any idea what it is?"

"It looks like some sort of mythical creature, doesn't it? Like a wizard, or a …"

"Demon?" Dean suggested.

The doctor looked at him strangely for a moment before breaking out in laughter. He took his seat behind the desk again and waited for Dean to sit down. His expression sobered and he looked at Dean with narrowed eyes.

"Have you heard of hypnotherapy, Dean?"

XXXXXXX

Owen Stratham, curator of the museum at the university of Kansas, was a seventy year old man stuck in a body of a thirty year old, Sam decided. If it hadn't been for the fascinating Civil War exhibit and the countless historical artifacts in the surprisingly large museum, and even larger basement, Sam would have died of boredom a hours ago.

Owen took Sam 'backstage', the highlight of the visit. As both men wondered the basement, which contained more pieces than in the public viewing area of the museum itself, Sam struggled to focus on what he'd come here to do and not get lost in the wonderment of this privileged private viewing.

In a monotone and cultured tone, Owen Stratham recounted for Sam his conversation with Paul, practically word by word, detail by excruciatingly boring detail. He hadn't been the only one at that meeting, the purpose of which had been to narrow down the theme of the exhibit and decide which pieces would ultimately form part of it and which would wouldn't. It had apparently taken all of Monday to reach a final decision, and the exhibit had been set up in the following two days. There'd been three other men at the meeting; the Head of the History Department, another history professor and the technical manager who would be in charge of overseeing the set up of the displays.

He'd spoken to two of the men already, with no luck, and was about to knock on the Head of the History Department's office when his cell rang. The caller ID said it was Isabel. He looked around at the young students wondering up and down the halls as the turning of the hour heralded the end of a class and the beginning of a new one. He pushed past the throng and stepped out of the doors into the sunlit courtyard at the entrance to the building.

"Bel? What's up?"

"Sam!" She called out and he could hear the sounds of traffic in the background "Are you still at the university?"

"Yeah, I'm outside the History Department" He said "I haven't found anything yet, but I've still got one more person to talk to"

"Forget them" She said hurriedly "I'm coming around to pick you up. Meet me at the front of the building"

"Wait, Bel, what are you talking about? Did you find something?"

"Yes. Dean's not picking up his cell. We have to get to him now"

She wasn't making any sense and Sam pinched the bridge of his nose and told himself to be patient with her "Isabel, tell me what's going on"

"Dean's in trouble, Sam. We have to help him!"

Her tone was urgent and he didn't have to see her face to note that she was anxious.

"Isabel, I'll go find Dean. I want you to stay at the hospital"

"I don't think so, Sam" She said "Besides, Dean took the car and you don't have a ride, now, do you?"

Sam cursed inwardly as he lost leverage and any chance at the argument. There was a moment of silence on the line.

"Fine. Tell me what's going on though, Bel"

"I'll be there in five minutes. I'll tell you on the way"

Ten minutes later, Sam was hanging on the door handle of Paul's SUV for dear life. He was used to Dean's sometimes maniacal driving, but right now Isabel was giving his brother a run for his money. She swerved in and out of traffic as she sped towards downtown Lawrence and recounted for Sam what she'd found out at the hospital.

"I just found out that Stephanie was in the middle of a lawsuit against her therapist and she was writing an article to expose him for using an experimental form of hypnotherapy on his patients without consent" She blurted out in a single breath.

The wheels quickly turned in Sam's head.

"Of course" He said "That's why she'd contacted the Wichita Eagle"

"There's more, it's the same therapist Al was seeing for his nightmares, Sam. It's Frank Bianchi!"

Sam frowned at this new revelation.

"The war vet?" He asked "The war vet that Dean is interviewing as we speak?"

"No, Sam. Frank Bianchi died in the war. The man Dean is interviewing, the therapist, is Frank Bianchi Junior, his son"

"Was Al suing him too?"

"No" She stopped and shook her head "I don't know, I don't think so. Frank Bianchi served under Al's father in Germany in World War II. They got involved in some sort of Nazi embezzlement or larceny scheme and when they got discovered, Al's dad sold Frank Bianchi out. He was killed. When Al found out the connection he told Frank and they had an argument"

"Frank blamed Al's dad for his own father's death"

"Except Al's dad is long dead now" Isabel pointed out "The only one alive to pay for what happened and take his anger out on, is Al himself"

"This all seems a little far out" Sam said looking out the window "Even for _our _usual beat"

"You said Gordon told you Michelle was having an affair with her therapist?" Isabel asked. Sam turned back to her and nodded "What do you want to bet that man is Frank Bianchi?"

Sam pondered the scenario in his mind for a moment.

"If Michelle left him for Spencer, there's motive right there" He said.

"I'm still not entirely sure why he came after Paul" She said.

"Well, I'll make sure to ask him" Sam said as they spotted the Impala parked up ahead on the road.

Isabel pulled up across the street from it and stopped the engine, turning to Sam unsurely. Finding out all this information had come easily to her, putting the pieces together in her mind even easier. But the one thing she didn't know was how to proceed now. All she knew what that they had to get to Dean now.

She dialed Dean's number again, and waited as if rang out. That was not a good sign "Still no answer"

Sam opened the passenger door and started stepping out.

"OK Bel, I'm going to go in" He said, holding the door open as he spoke to her "You stay put"

"What?" She asked in disbelief. After everything she'd come up with, she couldn't believe he expected her to just sit there and twiddle her thumbs while he went in there guns blazing "I want to go down too"

"No Bel, it might be dangerous" He said sternly, though his tone never quite had the same effect Dean's more authoritative one had "I'll go. If I'm not out in ten minutes call the police"

"But Sam"

"I said no! You are going to stay in this car and wait for me!" He repeated, struggling to infuse his command with harshness that didn't come naturally to him "Do _not_ get out of this car. Do _not_ go anywhere. Do you understand?"

She looked at him for a moment and although she wanted to argue and protest, time was a factor and Dean might be in danger.

She nodded "Fine"

Sam regarded her for a moment, wondering if she was just humoring him.

"What are you going to do?" She asked.

Sam looked at the building then back at his cousin, his brow furrowed "I don't know"

"Be careful, Sam"

"Do _not_ move" He warned her once more, before shutting the door and running towards the building.

Isabel watched from the car as Sam reached the building's front door and looked up Frank Bianchi's office number. He pulled something out of his pocket and after a few seconds of fiddling with the lock, the door opened and Sam walked in, giving her a final look as he raised a pointed finger at her and she saw him mouth the word 'stay'.

She snorted in indignation as he disappeared through the doors. Did Sam truly think of her as a disobedient dog? She wondered if she would have obeyed him and stayed in the car if it hadn't been for that last insulting gesture.

She reached across her seat and opened the glove compartment. The black silk pouch sat neatly on top of CDs and her registration papers. She pulled out the revolver her cousins had given her for her birthday, checked to make sure it was loaded with the salt bullets and then stashed it in the waistband of her jeans. She put her burgundy leather jacket on, efficiently hiding the weapon from plain sight and looked at the building again as she gathered her resolve.

"Screw this!" She said, stepping out of the car and following Sam into the building.


	18. Family Session

AN: I went back into one of the chapters to fix up a name and then something weird happened to the other chapters. I had to repost them. I have no idea what that was about. Sorry if it caused any confusion. Anyway, I hope it's all good now. Toodles, AT.

XXXXXXX

She almost backed out. She could honestly say that if the old lady carrying the coffee hadn't reached the front door first and held it open for her so she could walk into the building, she would have probably turned around and headed back to the car. Still, one of her famous traits was impetuousness, and Isabel fully intended to live up to that reputation. She remembered Sam had pointed out one day that impetuousness meant doing something stupid without thinking it through first. She halted outside Dr Bianchi's office as she waited for the old lady to enter the accounting firm. It had already been over five minutes since Sam had gone in there. Then she heard Dean's voice in her head replacing Sam's, telling her to follow her instincts because more often than not, they were right.

She quietly opened the door and stepped in, looking around the dark and deserted reception area. Empty chairs, empty desk. A door to the left was shut and she figured that it led to the actual consultation room. As she neared the door, she glanced at the desk and a thought occurred to her, stopping her on her tracks. She approached the receptionist's workstation and her fingers brushed over the phone, halting at the button labeled 'intercom – Dr Bianchi'. She pressed it and tried not to gasp or make a sound as Sam's voice and an unfamiliar one was heard over the small speaker.

"What you're doing is wrong" She frowned as she heard Sam's slightly slurred speech.

"You don't know what I'm doing" That was the doctor's voice. Steady, deep and imposing.

"These people are dying. You're killing innocent people!"

"I'm not killing anybody. All I'm doing is summoning an entity, a being…I didn't create this…"

"The Sandman isn't evil, _you_ are! You're using him to do what you want"

"And what exactly would that be?"

"Revenge, jealousy" Sam continued "You were jealous of Michelle and Spencer"

Isabel struggled to her the words being said. _Where is Dean?_ Her mind asked over the conversation.

"I just wanted to stop her" The doctor's voice had softened.

"From leaving you?"

"She was thinking of running away with that insufferable idiot, did you know that?'

"That's no reason to kill her! What about Stephanie?"

And just like that the heat returned "That little bitch was going to expose me! She would have ruined my career! I wasn't going to let that happen"

"So you shut her up! Just like Al. He had nothing to do with your father's death. But you got greedy, the power got to you. After Michelle, you'd found the perfect way to make people quiet and get rid of them… for good"

"Yes, and _you_ are next"

Isabel shivered, alarmed by the ominous tone of the doctor's voice. This was the time for her to act. She took a deep breath and headed to the door, quietly turning the doorknob and stepping into the small waiting area between the reception and the doctor's office. She was glad her progress was muffled by the heated conversation on the speaker, as Sam continued to stall the doctor with conversation.

She charged into the room, figuring there was no sense in knocking or sneaking in, they would hear her anyway. All three men in the room turned to her and in that moment of silence the logical part of her brain decided to speak up, too late pointing out to her that perhaps she should have called the police before barging in. Oh well, she thought, let's play it by ear.

She looked around the office. Dean was sitting on a large couch to her right, across the room. His eyes were blank and his expression vacant. His demeanor reminded Isabel of Paul's sleepwalking episodes. She immediately gathered he was in some sort of trance and would be of no help to her.

Sam was closest, with his back to her as he sat on a wooden chair a few feet from her. He turned his head towards her and she saw a small trickle of blood seeping down his forehead. His hands were tied to the armrests and his feet secured to either sides of the chair legs. He was glaring daggers at her, obviously not happy that she'd disobeyed his orders and followed him in.

"And who might you be, little lady?"

The doctor's voice startled her. She finally turned to the third man in the room, sitting calmly behind his desk as he regarded her with a smile; courteous, sophisticated and chilling to the bone. She noted various candles in front of him, arranged in a circle around an elaborate glass figure.

"I'm the girlfriend" She said, pleased with herself that her voice was even and confident, though she did not feel it.

"I'm afraid couples therapy is not my specialty, but I'll see what I can do" He said as he looked from Sam to Dean "Which one's yours?"

"Both. They're my cousins" She said "I'm Paul's girlfriend"

The doctor nodded in recognition "Oh, yes. The smart fellow from the university. Too curious for my liking though. Didn't particularly like his questions"

"Isabel, I told you to stay in the car!" Sam finally spoke up, fearing the situation was heading into very dangerous territory "I got this"

She looked down at her helpless cousin, wrists and ankles bound to the chair "You're kidding me, right?"

"This is truly fascinating" Frank Bianchi said with a wicked smile as he sat back on his chair "I love family dynamics!"

"What did you do to him?" She asked him with a glance towards Dean.

"Dean expressed his skepticism of hypnosis and hypnotherapy as valid forms of psychotherapy" He explained calmly "I felt compelled to…change his mind"

"Wake him up" She said.

"He's not sleeping" He pointed out.

"Undo it, whatever you did to him, undo it now!"

"I don't think so" He said as he started lighting the candles in front of him. From a black velvet pouch he proceeded to pull out a fistful of sand which he slowly let fall to the ground in a small pile next to him.

"What are you doing?" She whispered out.

"Well, we can't start yet" He said, not looking about from his task "There's someone missing"

"Isabel" Sam said, his eyes not leaving Frank as he continued his little ritual "Get out of here"

"I'm not going anywhere, Sam"

"Isabel, please" He continued, turning to her "Get out now"

Frank glanced briefly at the arguing couple, letting out a little chuckle "Don't mind me, carry on"

"I can help you" She said to Sam.

"How? What are you going to do?" He yelled at her "You didn't even bring a weapon!"

"No, _you_ didn't bring a weapon" She said reaching behind her and pulling the gun out of the waistband of her jeans.

Sam's eyes widened and they both turned to Frank, who stopped what he was doing and regarded Isabel with a challenging smirk. She raised the gun and pointed it at him as he stood up from his seat.

"You're going to shoot me, princess?" He asked, baiting her.

"Let Dean go" She said as she bent down next to Sam and with her free hand started undoing the knot around his left wrist "I'm not kidding!!"

"Dean?"

Frank Bianchi called out. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Dean stand up from his seat

"That's it, now let him go"

Her instincts told her something bad was about to happen when Frank Bianchi stared at her with malevolent anticipation in his eyes and a depraved smile broke over his face. She ceased her movements as she felt the air in the room shift. Sam must have had the same feeling, because he too turned to Isabel in apprehension.

"Get rid of her" Frank said.

That's not what she'd expected "What?" She watched in shock as her older cousin started walking towards her from across the room "Dean?"

"Dean!" Sam tried but his brother gave no acknowledgment that he'd heard either of them, or that he even knew what he was doing as he continued his advance. Isabel had managed to loosen the knot around his wrist, but he could still not free himself. "Dean!"

Isabel watched Dean in horror and she stumbled backwards until her back hit the wall. She pointed the gun at the doctor again.

"Make him stop, or I'll shoot you!" She screamed.

"And then what?" Frank asked calmly "I'm not the one about to kill you. Maybe you should point that gun at your cousin. I'll testify to self defense. Think you can shoot him to save your own life? It's a fascinating question, isn't it?"

She stared at him for a moment, horrified that he seemed genuinely interested in the answer. She felt like this was almost an experiment to him, and they were his lab rats.

"Isabel!" She was startled back by the desperate pitch in Sam's voice "Run! Get out of here! Run!"

She would have, but Dean was already too close, in the path between her and the door. She knew there was no way she'd get past him. She aimed the gun at him and told herself to shoot. The bullets were salt, they weren't going to kill him. The blood was hammering in her ears and her heart was pounding, yet she could still hear Sam above that all, yelling at her to shoot.

"Dean"

Dean halted at Frank Bianchi's command, the tip of Isabel's gun inches from his chest. Isabel held her breath and swallowed, the movement made painful by her unbelievably dry throat. She lowered her gun and turned to the doctor, unable to understand why he would resort to such an extreme game of intimidation. But the coldness in the doctor's eyes told her it was no game and she'd just made the huge mistake of lowering her defenses.

"Kill her"

She had no time to respond. In reflex, she barely managed to raise the gun a few inches before it was knocked out of her hand and went flying across the room. A large hand gripped tightly around her wrist and she whimpered in pain as it was twisted and she was pulled forward.

"Dean?" She breathed out, hoping for a miracle. She looked up into the empty, unseeing eyes of her cousin and saw not an ounce of recognition in them "Oh, crap"


	19. Your Time's Up

AN: Sorry about the huge delay, but you know how frantic things get leading up to Christmas. Anyway, thanks for bearing with me. Here you go.

XXXXXXXX

Instinct. She closed her eyes and let her mind return to her training with Dean a few days earlier. As he pulled her to him, she stood her ground and planted her heels firmly on the carpeted floor, making him tighten his hold on her wrist and use more force to draw her to him. She took advantage of his movement and let herself be pulled forward, the shift in momentum momentarily unbalancing him. As Dean wavered she turned and used her leg to swing around behind his and with all the strength she could muster, swiped them from under him. It would have worked perfectly in her favor if he hadn't been holding on to her so tightly. She went down with him, but being on top she managed to quickly edge away towards the gun.

Inches from her hand she felt a hand wrap around her ankle, and her fingertips barely brushed the gun before she felt the pull and her body was dragged away from it. She turned and used her free leg to kick him and try to free herself, but he didn't let go. He was prepared for her second kick and his other hand caught her leg in mid air and pinned it down. Dean moved over her, immobilizing her as he sat on her legs. Before she could land a punch on him his hands settled on her neck and immediately she felt them tighten around her throat. Her hands moved instinctively to his arms, trying to pry them from her throat, but his hold was powerful and she didn't have enough strength to fight him. The pain was intense and frightening, though not as much as the knowledge that her windpipe was blocked and try as she might she could get no air in. She didn't even have breath in her to plead with the shell of her cousin to stop. Of all the ways to die, she could think of no worse way than this.

As her vision started to darken, she vaguely made out movement over Dean and seconds later he was pulled away from her. As she gasped desperately for air, lying on the ground she saw Sam struggling with Dean, the chair he'd been tied to now resting on its side. They were rolling around on the floor, wrestling for control while Frank was still immersed in his summoning ritual. The room came to a standstill as Sam managed to pin Dean down. Suddenly a flash of light inundated the room and once gone a dark figure emerged from the mound of sand next to the desk. She sat up and looked up in horror as the Sandman became more than just a myth, instead a real presence in the room with them.

Sam looked up as well and glanced briefly at Isabel before his own eyes were drawn to the fourth person in the room. He stared at the Sandman with fear, apprehension and a great amount of awe. The legend, the myth, now right in front of them.

Surprisingly, the Sandman, or at least this particular manifestation, was an old harmless looking old man. He didn't look evil, he didn't even look scary; he looked like a sweet old man. It was not at all what he had expected. He watched the three people on the ground with interest; Sam, holding Dean down just feet away from him and Isabel, sitting against the wall across the room with wide eyes. He turned to Frank as if waiting for an order as to how to proceed next. They all turned to Frank. It was his move now.

The doctor turned to the Sandman and spoke slowly, clearly.

"Take them" He said darkly "Take them all"

Sam turned back to Isabel, his expression desperate.

"Isabel, for the last time, get the hell out of here!" Sam yelled "Now!"

But she couldn't. The door was close to her, so physically she knew she could. But if she ran away now, she knew what would happen. She would lose her cousins as well as her boyfriend to this fiend, and then she would be alone, and alone she could not get them back. No, she thought to herself, this was the final showdown and she was damn sure going to be here for it.

She shook her head at Sam not trusting herself to speak. He rewarded her with a clenching of his jaw and a death glare, but she made no move to run. She was paralyzed as she watched the frail figure of the Sandman move behind Sam.

"Sam" She said shakily "behind you"

He turned his head to find the Sandman standing over him, his hand outstretched as fine grains of sand fell through his fingers and over Sam's head.

"Isabel, the gun" Sam said "Shoot"

She sprung into action immediately, crawling as fast as she could towards the gun. She grabbed it in her hands and aimed it at the Sandman, her eyes fixing on the doctor who was watching the whole scene unfold from his chair. To anyone he would have appeared to be watching a riveting movie.

"Call him off!" She yelled at him.

The doctor didn't take his eyes from the Sandman "I can't. It's too late"

Sam could feel his strength waning and his body relaxing against his will. His eyelids became heavy and he had the inexplicable need to shut them. He realized he was falling asleep, but he could do nothing about it. He struggled, knowing that if he fell under the Sandman's spell and with Dean not in control of himself, Isabel would be left to face whatever came next alone.

"Shoot him, Bel" He pleaded with her as he started to lose grip on his consciousness.

She did. She shot him once, twice, three times. Each shot flew right through the Sandman's chest, each wound seeping sand instead of blood. The Sandman didn't even flinch.

"It's not working, Sam!" She cried out "He's made out of sand"

Sam's eyes started to shut and his body became slack, making it easier now for Dean to just push him off. Sam fell on his back and turned his head towards Isabel as sleep overtook him. _No_, he thought to himself through the haze, _no, she needs me_. With his last remaining ounce of strength he tried to help her out.

"Find…source…power…" His head lolled to the side and just like that Sam was out of the equation.

"No, Sam!" Isabel cried as tears clouded her vision "Sam, wake up. Sam!"

Dean stood, looking around him as if disoriented. His expression was still blank, but his eyes seemed less vacant and a frown of confusion broke over his face. Isabel wondered if he was coming out of his trance. Suddenly the Sandman turned to him.

She turned angrily to Frank and aimed the gun at him "You son of a bitch, call him off now, or this time I swear to God I _will_ shoot you!"

"Shooting me won't stop him, Isabel" The doctor said calmly "That's not how it works"

A revelation struck her. Everything came together in her mind. What she'd read from Paul's files, her past experience hunting with her cousins, what Sam had just tried to tell her and more importantly, what the crazy doctor himself had just revealed.

"You're right, that's not how it works" She said.

She took her aim from the doctor's chest and redirected it, towards the dark glass figure on the desk.

"What are you doing?" The doctor asked as his face paled.

"Make him stop or I shoot your little statue" She said.

"Everyone, stop" he called out and the Sandman and Dean stood still, watching the interplay "What exactly do you think that's going to accomplish, Isabel?"

"You know, I was sitting in my boyfriend's hospital room yesterday, reading some very intriguing stuff" She said, not lowering her weapon "here's an interesting tidbit _doctor_, did you know that glass is made out of sand?"

"You think destroying the statue is going to stop him?"

"Yes" She said "I'm betting it's the source of your power, what binds him to you, what binds everyone under his spell to you. I'm also betting that when I blow it to smithereens, this whole thing will be over"

"If you destroy it, he will be trapped in our world and kill you all"

"I think the opposite" She said "The Sandman isn't evil by nature. I think once he's free of you, he'll turn on you and take you instead"

"That would make you the bad guy Isabel, that would make you just like me" The doctor said, though by his tone he didn't seem so sure of himself "You want to be like me?"

"Normally I'd say no, but you chose the wrong way to test me"

"Are you willing to become a murderer on the off chance you might save your loved ones?" He asked standing from his chair "Are you prepared to live with my death on your conscience? It's a fascinating question"

"Yes, it is" She said, her index finger slowly tightening on the trigger "Here's a fascinating answer"

She pulled the trigger without hesitation. With Paul's, Sam's and Dean's lives in the balance, the choice was simple. Any repercussions were worth the possibility of saving them.

The glass broke into a multitude of fragments, shards falling over the desk and onto the carpet.

"No!" Frank Bianchi yelled.

The Sandman turned to Isabel and her blood froze. Oh God, what had she done? She'd been pretty convinced with her conclusions, but now she wondered if she had been wrong. And if she had been wrong, how wrong had she been?

"You freed me"

She was speechless. His voice was soft, deep and kind. He reminded Isabel of her grandfather on her dad's side. He said no more but turned to where Sam was sleeping and with a glance towards Isabel muttered a few words in a language she couldn't make out. Movement caught her eyes as Sam began to stir, and groggily his eyes opened and he looked around the room.

"Isabel?" He asked sleepily as he sat up.

"It's OK, Sam" She brought her eyes back to the Sandman "Are they all awake now?"

"Yes" He said.

"Thank you" She said as tears of relief fell down her cheeks "Is it over?"

The Sandman didn't respond, but merely turned to Frank Bianchi, who was now cowering in the far corner of the room. His posture and the terrified expression on his face said it all. He was trapped, like an animal. He looked at her pleadingly.

"Please don't"

The Sandman turned back to her as if waiting for further instruction. It was up to her now, the doctor's fate.

Sam saw it in her eyes. He knew what she was about to do, and as much as he wanted bloody revenge on the deranged doctor, it wasn't something he wanted Isabel to carry with her for life. It seemed like the best option at the moment, but later it would be something she would likely regret.

"Isabel, don't" He said "It's over, you don't have to do this"

She almost listened to him, she almost did. But all she could think about was Paul, lying in a hospital bed unconscious. Al, a harmless man who'd done nothing wrong. Stephanie, and innocent girl who just wanted to tell the truth. Michelle, waiting to be buried and leaving a child behind without a mother to raise her. The police wouldn't be able to do anything about what had happened. No, this man had destroyed too many lives, and he would not get the chance to do it again. She'd almost lost everyone.

"He's all yours" She said to the Sandman as she let the gun fall from her hand.

Within seconds the Sandman reached Frank Bianchi, and the man pleaded and begged for mercy even as his eyes closed and his body slumped against the wall.

"Now what?" She asked the minute the doctor was out.

The Sandman turned to her with a smile "Now, I'm yours"

It took less than a second for the glass pieces transform themselves back into the shape of the mystical figurine. It looked perfectly restored, as if it had never been broken. The only difference now, was the color. Instead of the earlier black, the figure was now an iridescent white, the billowing cloak looking angelic instead of sinister.

"What are you two doing here?"

Sam and Isabel turned to Dean "Dean?"

Dean looked at the fallen form of Frank Bianchi then back at his cousin and brother "What the hell happened here?'

"You don't remember?"

"Last thing I remember was sitting on that couch as Frank started talking about the ocean breeze or something. He _was _the bad guy, wasn't he? He summoned the Sandman?"

"He's gone" Sam nodded "Isabel destroyed the source of his power"

"You did?" Dean asked turning to his cousin. His brow furrowed as his eyes settled on her bruised neck "Oh my God, what did he do to you, are you OK?"

Sam and Isabel looked at each other, realizing not only that it was all over now, but that Dean had no recollection of what had transpired or what he'd done. Isabel gave Sam a pleading look, begging him not to tell him all the details.

"It's over" Sam cut in "The Sandman took the doctor"

"Isabel?"

She swallowed hard, looking at Dean for a moment before walking over to the desk and picking up the glass statue and holding it under her arm. She walked to where her cousins were standing.

"Can we just get to the hospital?" She asked emotionlessly as she walked out of the office "I need to see Paul"

"What about him?" Sam asked with a nod to the fallen doctor as he bent over to pick up the gun she'd dropped.

"Let him rot" She said without a backwards glance.

They watched her walk out in silence. Sam worried at her rare display of callousness and Dean confused as to what was going on. He turned to his younger brother and tilted his head as he noticed for the first time the blood and bruises.

"Dude, what happened to your face?"

"Not now, Dean, trust me" Sam said "Let's get to the hospital"

"I'm not going to like this story, am I?" He replied dryly as they walked out of the office together.

XXXXXXXXX

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Festive Toodles, AT


	20. We Are Family

AN: Hi again. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. I know I did. Lots of food, presents, friends and family, always a winning combination. Now I'm looking forward to my favorite day of the entire year: New Year's Eve! Margaritas and daiquiris will flow freely, but I will try to not kill too many neurones. Can't make any promises though. I will update again in the new year, as soon as my hangover permits.

XXXXXXX

"Where've you been?" Dean asked her from the couch as Isabel walked in. He looked at his watch "Visiting hours finished at eight. It's almost midnight"

She stopped for a moment, watching him silently before walking off towards the kitchen without a word. He followed her in and watched her as she set her purse and a brown paper bag on the kitchen table.

"Isabel?"

"I went for a drive" She said simply "I needed to do a little shopping"

She grabbed a glass out of a cupboard and pulled out a large bottle from a brown paper bag.

"Vodka?" Dean asked with raised eyebrows "That's what you needed to buy?"

"Wanna join me?" She asked pulling a second glass out.

He sat at the table and shrugged "You've twisted my arm"

She sat at the table across from him and poured two glasses. She slid one over to him and took a large swig from her own, wincing as she felt the clear liquid burn its way down her throat.

"You waited up for me?"

"I was worried. Your phone was switched off" He said sipping from his own glass "When's Paul getting out?"

"Probably tomorrow afternoon" She said "He's doing really well. So is Stephanie"

"How about Al?"

She shook her head as she stared down at her now empty glass. She grabbed the bottle again and refilled it "Not so well…they don't think he'll fully recover"

But they'd already known that. Al's brain had undergone an irreversible amount of damage. The neurologist had said the damage was tantamount to a massive stroke. He would never speak, walk or see again. Stephanie, being young and healthy, had escaped with only some memory loss and what the doctors speculated to be a temporary loss of complex motor skills. She would make a full recovery. What the doctors didn't understand was why Frank wasn't waking up like the others had.

"Frank?"

"Dying…slowly" She said with satisfaction "Where's Sam?"

"In bed"

"Sleeping already?"

"No, probably not" Dean said "I told him I wanted to talk to you"

She looked up at him curiously "Talk?"

"It's been two days, Bel. You've hardly said one word to anyone …this is the longest conversation we've had since…it happened"

She sighed. It was true. She'd hardly spoken to anyone since leaving Frank Bianchi's office two days earlier. It wasn't that she didn't want to, but she'd felt so conflicted about everything that had transpired in that room. She couldn't even explain it to herself, let alone try to talk to anyone about it. The emotions were many and they battled with each other for control. Guilt, anger, fear… then there was the most unsettling of all, satisfaction.

"Nothing personal, Dean"

"Don't give me that crap, Isabel"

"It's not crap, Dean! I just… I'm fine…I'm just tired"

He would have let it go, but after two days of 'I'm fine' and 'I'm OK' he was fed up. Sam seemed happy enough to play along with her, admitting to Dean that he also thought there was something wrong, something she wasn't telling them but she would in time. At first, he'd gone along with it too, but they'd been through this routine before and he wasn't in the mood to play the waiting game to Isabel's next meltdown. Isabel was a very fiercely emotional and passionate person with a penchant for melodrama and the sooner she got whatever was troubling her off her chest, the better. And he knew just how to get it out of her.

"Yeah, that might work on your friends, even your boyfriend, but it's not going to fly with me" He said casually "I'm not taking fine or tired for an answer"

"Dean, seriously…"

"Sam told me what happened" Dean said "Everything"

"He did?" she asked as she gulped down the rest of her drink. She reached for the bottle again but Dean beat her to it and pulled it away from her, staring her down.

"He did"

"Give me the bottle, Dean"

"No"

She looked at him tiredly "I have a bottle of sleeping pills in my bedroom. It's either one or the other"

"You really think this will help?" He asked her, ignoring her idle threat and sliding the bottle back to her.

"It can't hurt to give it a try"

"Come on, Bel. Talk to me" He said "Please?"

She took a deep breath and another swig "OK Dean, you're right, I'm not fine. I'm not fine at all"

He nodded in understanding. The bruising around her neck was fading, but the memory of his fingerprints on her flesh would take much longer. He was almost as thankful that he didn't remember attacking her as he was for Sam stopping him before he killed her. He tried not to dwell too much on what could have happened. But Isabel did remember and the thought that his face above her as he slowly killed her with his bare hands would be an image that would never leave her mind was killing him. Sam telling him that Isabel didn't want him to find out what he'd done to her while under the doctor's spell wasn't helping either. Nor was the fact that she hadn't even mentioned the subject.

"Bel, I'm…so sorry, about what I did to you…you know I'd never, ever hurt you"

"Dean" She started.

"I feel terrible about it" He interrupted as he ran a palm over his face "If I could undo it, you know…"

"I'm not upset about that, Dean" She cut him off with a dismissive wave of her hand.

He looked up at her in surprise.

"You're not?"

She shook her head "Of course not, honey. I know that wasn't you"

He sighed in relief, a huge weight lifted off his shoulders.

"Then what is it?"

She took a deep breath and searched for the right words to explain the convoluted swirl of thoughts and feelings inside her.

"It's me. There was this…moment in the office. You were still out, the Sandman was there and…I had to make a choice"

"I know, Sam told me" He said "you shouldn't feel bad about it"

"But I do, Dean. I remember feeling like…" She said as her eyes started watering "I was looking at Frank and for a second I wished there were real bullets in that gun"

"You were angry, afraid, and worried, Bel. It was natural to want revenge when everyone's life was on the line"

"I know, but it wasn't just that" She said wiping tears "Afterwards, after Sam woke up and I knew everyone was fine…I told the Sandman to take Frank"

"Bel"

"I didn't even hesitate, Dean" She said as more tears fell and she trembled "Even when Sam asked me not to do what I was about to do, I didn't hesitate. I wanted him to die"

"You didn't kill him, Isabel"

"I might as well have, Dean. Even now, that it's all over, I look back and…I would have blown his brains out" She said, looking up at him seriously, the sudden harshness in her eyes and ice in her voice lending weight to her words "I almost lost every single person that I love in this whole world. Paul, Sam, you…I hate myself because I would make that choice again. I wanted him to die…I still do"

"Hey, it's OK kitten" He said coming around and taking her in his arms "It's OK"

"Is it?" She wrapped her arms around him as she broke down again. It felt so good to get it all out "He's human, Dean. He's not a demon, or a spirit…he's a human being! It's different Dean. Frank was right, I'm a murderer. I'm just like him"

"Bel, you are nothing like him" Dean said, pushing her off and grabbing her face in his hands as he stared into her eyes "I would have done the same"

She stopped sobbing and looked up at him "Really?"

"In a heartbeat" He said firmly without vacillation "I'd always put you and Sam first, not matter what. He deserves what he got"

"But Dean, I don't think…I don't know if that's right though, is it?"

"Maybe not, but if I had to choose between my family and someone like Frank…no contest, ever. I'm not apologizing for that, and neither should you"

"I thought I'd lost you, Dean. I thought I'd lost you both" She said crying as she embraced him tightly again, reassuring herself he wasn't lost to her "I don't regret the way things turned out. I just wish…I felt more guilty. I know I should"

They held each other for a moment before sitting again.

"What are you going to do with that hideous glass statue?"

"I was thinking of burning it, melting it down. There's a large furnace at the university. Why? You think I should keep it?"

He sighed "It seems a shame to destroy it. But we should"

"I figured if the Sandman isn't bad, evil, then he shouldn't be bound to it"

"We'll set him free"

She smiled at him "Yeah, I'd like that"

"After Frank's dead"

Her smile faded and she looked at him intensely "What?"

"I almost killed you, Bel" He said "He made me hurt you, he almost killed Sam. He deserves to die"

She nodded, unnerved, and watched him with a concerned frown. She'd just gotten a startling glimpse into the dangerous nature of her cousin at that moment, a worrying hint of the dormant darkness within him and she wondered just what he would be capable of if provoked. It was a deeper darkness than hers. She also knew this was the part of the conversation that they would keep from Sam.

"OK" She breathed out.

They sat in awkward silence for a moment.

"You ready for bed yet? It's late"

She filled up her glass again "Maybe after another one of these"

"Top me up too, will you?"

"You guys staying for a while?" She asked as she poured him another glass.

They hadn't discussed the length of their stay, but she surmised that since the Sandman business was over, there was no real reason for them to stay much longer. They would surely want to hit the road again, and resume their hunting.

"We were thinking of staying until Paul comes home" He said "We don't want you to be alone"

Since they were being open to each other, she figured this was as good a time as ever to bring up something else that had been bothering her.

"Listen, Dean" She begun "about the fight we had the other day"

"Don't worry about it" He said with a shake of his head "We both said stupid stuff we didn't mean"

"I feel bad about it"

"Don't. It's what we do Bel. We're family. We fight, we make up, and then we do it again. Especially us two. You should be used to that by now, it's been twenty-five years"

"So…we're OK?"

"We'll always be OK" He said "You can't get rid of me. You're stuck with me for life, kitten. Get used to it"

"Promise?"

"Cross my heart"

"Promise that when you go you won't wait another six months to come visit me. I missed you both too much last time"

"Promise me you'll talk to Paul' He said "I don't want to see you get hurt. I…I like him, he's good for you"

"No more secrets" She said nodding "Don't keep me in the dark anymore about what you guys are up to. Let me in?"

"Deal" He said then smirked at her mischievously "Hey, remember my eighteenth birthday?"

She frowned and looked at him "What?"

"My birthday. We were in Idaho, you and your parents drove over from Illinois for it"

She smiled sadly as she remembered "Yeah. I'd just turned sixteen. It was the last time I saw you before my parents died"

"You were going back home the day after my birthday but you didn't want to leave, so you snuck out of your hotel room in the middle of the night and came to see me and Sam at the motel we were staying at. Remember?"

She laughed and covered her face with her hands "I did too! Oh my God, now I remember"

"My dad was out on a hunt and we stayed up watching movies all night"

"And when Sam fell asleep we cleaned out the minibar!" She shrieked through giggles.

"Remember when my dad came back the next morning and found the two of us passed out?" said Dean "Boy, was he angry!"

"He'd never yelled at me before that" She said "He practically dragged me into the car and drove back to my parents"

"How did they take it? I never asked"

"Surprisingly well, since your dad didn't tell them what really happened"

"He what?"

"Yeah, he told my parents I'd ran away to spend the night with you guys, and that was it"

"No way! He covered for you?"

"Yeah" She said "Even as my mom yelled and yelled at him for being irresponsible and leaving you alone the entire night. All the while I felt like I was about to barf and my head was going to explode. My first hangover"

"A milestone"

"Are you kidding me? I was only sixteen!"

"Oh come on, it was fun"

"Fun?" She asked "I was grounded for a month!"

"So was I! Well, my dad's version of grounded, anyway, which just meant I was suspended from going on hunts with him"

"You were going to talk to her, Dean, not get her drunk!'

They turned to the sound of the voice finding Sam standing at the door. His tone had been chastising but the slight upturn of his lips betrayed his amusement at finding his cousin and brother in the middle of what looked to be a drunken conversation.

"Other way around, Sammy" She said "I'm getting your brother drunk"

"We were reminiscing about the time we got drunk on my eighteenth birthday, remember?"

Sam nodded as he took in the half empty vodka bottle "I remember the lecture from dad the next morning, and as touching as this moment is, maybe it's not the best idea"

"Says the boy who can't handle his liquor" Isabel said sarcastically, making Dean snort in amusement.

Sam huffed in offense and sat at the table, taking Isabel's half full glass and sculling it down.

"Easy there cowboy" Isabel said with a chuckle "I'm not tucking your drunk ass in bed tonight, not unless it's your birthday"

"Did you guys talk?" He asked, ignoring her dig and trying hard not to choke as the strong liquid blazed its way to his stomach.

"Yeah, we did" Isabel said.

"We've sorted everything out" Dean agreed.

"So, we're OK now?" Sam asked.

"We're always OK, Sammy" Isabel said, smiling at Dean "We are family"

He returned her smile and gave her a wink "I'll drink to that"

XXXXX

Everyone has to promise to have an awesome time this Sunday night. Happy New Year everyone! Be safe. Toodles, AT.


	21. Parting Gifts

AN: Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a fantastic time. Thank you for your patience, I truly am sorry that I took so long to post this chapter, but believe me I have been very busy.

This is a nice light chapter. The next couple of chapters will be light, because after that it all comes crashing down and things will get very, very angsty.

Toodles, AT.

XXXXXXXXX

Sam watched his cousin closely. She looked ready, braced for whatever was coming though the weariness had started to show on her face. He took a deep breath, picked up a card, and read it for her; his tone was steady and his words measured and deliberate.

"In what year did Julius Caesar defeat Pompey in Pharsalus?"

Isabel stared at Sam blankly across the kitchen table. He might as well have spoken to her in Japanese.

"Pass" She said finally.

"For the eighth time, Isabel, you can't pass" He said with a sigh "It's your turn, you have to answer the question"

"Sam, I don't have the foggiest idea what you just asked me"

"Do you want me to read the question again?" He asked her with all the patience he could muster.

"No" She said slowly "I want to stop playing this game"

He frowned again as frustration started to prickle his tone "_You're_ the one who suggested we play Trivial Pursuit"

"No, I suggested we read questions out to Paul to test his memory, not that we _all_ play. I'm not the one who spent two days in coma"

Paul had come home from the hospital early that afternoon, and while he seemed to be doing perfectly well, he was worried that there may have been some lasting damage to his brain that the scans hadn't picked up. He'd sat down and read all his recent papers, his doctorate thesis, he'd started reciting pieces of information that randomly popped into his head, just to prove to himself that he could remember it. Isabel's patience snapped a mere two hours later, but she quickly composed herself and suggested they test Paul's mental prowess with questions from Trivial Pursuit. Sam and Paul agreed eagerly, and minutes later Isabel and a very disgruntled Dean found themselves unwillingly thrown into a marathon game. Not surprisingly, Paul and Sam were kicking their asses.

"You're just pissed because you don't know the answer" Sam said taunting her.

"Of course I don't know the answer, Sam!" She said in exasperation "I don't even know who Phalus is"

"Pharsalus" Paul corrected her, having wisely remained quiet for the conversation between Sam and Isabel. He'd lost count, but it was probably about the seventh such conversation they'd had since they'd started this game "It's an ancient city in Greece"

"Whatever!" Isabel said with a dismissive and irritated wave of her hand "I've never heard of it, and I don't know what happened there, let alone _when_! What kind of nerd loser would know the answer to that?"

"48 BC" Paul whispered out.

She narrowed her eyes at Paul in annoyance "Big deal Paul, you're a historian…and a showoff! It wasn't even your turn"

"Fine, sorry" Paul said, not even bothering to argue with her. He turned to Sam "Ask her another question"

Sam picked up another card.

"First recorded by the Chordettes in 1954, who wrote the hit Mr. Sandman?" He finished weakly as he looked up at Isabel unsurely.

"Are you for real? I officially forfeit" Isabel said standing up abruptly as she threw her hands in the air and walked over to the refrigerator. She turned briefly to glare at Paul "And I think your big fat freaky brain is fine, Paul"

"Does this mean I don't have to play anymore either?" Dean asked.

He'd hated playing almost as much as Isabel, if not more. But he'd remained quiet for their benefit. If she was getting out of playing though, then he sure as hell was going to too.

"No, you don't" Isabel said "I'm going to start dinner"

"It's only six" Sam said glancing at his watch.

"It's been a long day, Sam" She said pulling out a large leg of lamb and setting it down next to her on the bench "You guys aren't hungry? I can make something later"

"No, that's OK" Paul said and turned to Sam with a twinkle in his eye "We can eat early then play chess after dinner. How about it, Sam?"

"Yeah" Sam said enthusiastically "Cool! You're on"

Isabel looked from Sam and Paul to Dean, a disturbed and disbelieving look on her face.

"Wild, huh?" Dean said dryly as he stood to stand next to her "How _do_ you keep up with him?"

She narrowed her eyes at him "I don't know what's more depressing, being related to you or Sam"

"How about being related to him…" He said looking at Sam before tilting his head in Paul's direction "_and_ sleeping with him?"

She looked up at him and smiled wickedly.

"Well, Dean, that's just earned you the position of kitchen wench for the evening"

"Say what now?"

"You're helping me make dinner" She said pulling out potatoes from the pantry and handing them to him.

"But I'm a guest" He protested weakly.

"You don't really think you're getting out of this, do you?" She asked holding out a potato peeler to him "You are my bitch. Now peel!"

He sighed resignedly and snatched it off her hands "Better than joining the chess club, I guess"

As Sam and Paul finished the game of Trivial Pursuit on their own, Isabel and Dean got dinner underway and an hour later all four were sitting down to eat. During dinner the subject of Sam and Dean's impending departure was brought up again.

"Well, we were thinking of leaving after dinner" Sam said, glancing at Isabel.

"That soon?" She asked looking from Sam to Dean "Why don't you spend the night? Leave tomorrow morning, nice and refreshed"

Dean shrugged as he set down his knife and fork "I'm for it, but Sam's in a hurry to leave and check this thing out in Texas"

"What's happening in Texas?" Asked Paul

"Haunted house" Sam explained.

"Ooh, spooky" Isabel said "Do you want my help?"

"This ghost hangs young girls by the rafters" Sam continued "So, no, there's no way in hell you're coming along!"

She raised an eyebrow and looked at him witheringly.

"Riiiiiiight, well, I wasn't actually asking to come along, but thank you nevertheless for shooting me down ever so gently" She said sarcastically "I just meant if you needed help researching because I think my strength lies in that, rather than actual hunting and whatnot"

"Oh" Sam said sheepishly "Well, before we do anything, first we need to check out if any of these witness accounts are true"

"_If_ they're true?" Isabel asked confused.

"Well, no bodies have actually been recovered"

"Then how do you know he's hanging girls?"

Sam fidgeted in his seat "There have been some stories posted…on the net"

"The net?" Isabel asked with a smirk as she leaned back on her chair and crossed her arms "Like a chat room or something? What's the name?"

Sam hesitated before answering. Dean's mocking posture and challenging smirk were identical to Isabel's. Sam realized that Isabel and Dean were so unconsciously alike in so many ways, that they would have had to have inherited most of their traits from their mothers. He always thought Dean was just like their dad in almost every way, but now he started to think that maybe Dean was a lot like their mom too.

"Hell hound's lair dot com" He said in one breath.

"Let me guess" Dean said "Streaming out live out of mom's basement"

"Probably" Sam admitted with a laugh.

"Geez Sam" Isabel said with a sad shake of her head "Why can't you just look up porn like your brother?"

Dean turned sharply to Isabel "Bite me"

She stood up and started clearing the dishes from the table as she chuckled to herself. She walked over to the bench and opened the dishwasher.

"Interesting" She said pensively over her shoulder "You didn't actually deny it…hmmm"

Dean cleared the rest of the dishes for her, putting them in the sink as Isabel started loading the dishwasher.

"I've seen that box you keep in the linen closet" He said smirking "So if I were you, I'd be a little more careful about throwing comments like that around"

She gasped and looked up at him. Her eyes darted nervously around the kitchen. Paul had stepped out but Sam was still sitting there, an almost inaudible groan escaping his lips as he took another swig from his wine glass.

"Those...those are…Halloween costumes!" She stammered defensively as her face turned red in mortified embarrassment.

Dean laughed loudly at her pathetic attempt to lie to him "Yeah right! Where do _you_ go trick or treating? The playboy mansion?"

"Please stop" Sam pleaded from his seat at the table as Paul brought the chess set in from the lounge room.

"There's nothing wrong with a little harmless role-playing" Isabel continued in her defense.

"I didn't say there was" Dean added with another chuckle and mimicked her comment from earlier "And it's interesting…that you didn't actually deny it…hmmm"

"OK, you've made your point, Dean" She said.

"I have to say, my favorite one would have to be the nurse outfit" Dean continued, this was too funny to let go "Hey Paul, does she usually start with a sponge bath?"

Isabel threw dishtowel at straight at his face as Paul fidgeted uncomfortably in his chair. Through her façade of anger and indignation, Dean could tell she was trying really hard not to laugh.

"You're disgusting" She said "And this conversation is over"

"Thank you" Sam said closing his eyes in relief.

A few minutes of silence went by as Sam and Paul started their game of chess and Isabel and Dean finished cleaning the kitchen. Dean finally broke the silence.

"The French maid one is a very close second" He said, his voice breaking with laughter.

"That's it!" She turned to him angrily "You're dead meat"

In a flurry of motion Isabel chased Dean out of the kitchen, leaving Sam and Paul to watch each other in uncomfortable silence.

"Wanna pretend we didn't hear that?" Paul suggested.

"Done" Sam said with an eager nod.

XXXXXX

It didn't take long the next morning for Sam and Dean to pack. The only reason it took them longer than an hour to leave was because Missouri dropped by quickly to say goodbye, and because Isabel insisted she do their washing before they left.

"Come on boys!" She said as she dumped the dried clothes on the couch and started separating them into a Sam pile and a Dean pile "Get 'em while they're hot!"

"What is it with you and lavender?" Dean asked as he sniffed the freshly done laundry.

"It's supposed to be calming, you ass!"

"Clearly" He said sarcastically.

It was then time to part. Paul walked over to Sam giving him a pile of papers and a few books he though might be useful for their hunts. He started writing his email address on a piece of paper as he told him to call him if he had any questions or needed to contact any experts on anything related to research of supernatural phenomena. As they conversed intensely, Isabel took the opportunity to grab Dean's arm and pulled him into her bedroom. She shut the door behind her.

"OK" Dean said unsurely "What did I do now?"

"What?" Isabel asked confused "No, nothing! I just wanted a minute alone with you"

"Something wrong?"

"It's your birthday in a couple of weeks, and with your dad still…out there somewhere and this thing in Texas now, chances are, I'm going to miss it"

He sighed as understanding set in "No. We'll come straight back, we can…"

"No, you won't" She cut him off "Besides, Missouri's right and…so is your dad. We need to put some distance between us. This…you here…it isn't safe" She said gesturing to Dean and herself.

"Us _here _isn't safe?" He asked incredulously as irritation surfaced "You realize that if we weren't here Paul would have most likely died?"

"Dean, please" She pleaded "I don't want us to fight today. I'm trying to give you your birthday present"

"Oh" He sad backing off "Sorry, go ahead"

She pulled out an envelope from the dresser and handed it to him.

"Happy birthday"

He opened it silently and pulled out a small plastic card.

"Is this a credit card?" He asked curiously.

She nodded "There's ten thousand dollars on that"

"What?" He asked with wide eyes "I can't accept this!"

"Why not?"

He shook his head vehemently "Money? That's your gift?"

"It's practical, Dean! You need it" She said "You gave me a crucifix and a gun for my birthday"

"But this is ten thousand dollars!"

"Look Dean" She said placing a hand on his arm gently "I've just sold my place in Illinois, I've still got most of the money my parents left me when they died. I've really got nothing to spend it on other than therapy and you. Please, I want you to have it"

"It's a lot of money, Bel"

"I know, but you don't have to spend it if you don't want to. It can be back up, emergency money" She sighed and tried a different approach "I will just sleep easier at night if I know that you have this. Use it on motel rooms, gas, food, tequila…whatever you need while you're on the road"

"Ammo?" He suggested with a smile.

She chuckled "Whatever you need. You can blow it all on lap dances if you want. Please, promise me you'll use it if you need to"

"Promise" He said pulling her in for a hug "Thank you, kitten"

"No, thank you" She said "For everything"

They walked out straight after to find Sam and Paul still talking about contacting each other while on the road. After a few more minutes Isabel managed to tear them from each other. Sam and Isabel hugged tightly as Dean and Paul shook hands.

"Take care of her" Dean said.

"Won't take my eyes off of her" Paul promised.

Dean turned to Isabel as they stood at the door "You call if you need anything or if anything happens"

"Ditto" She said.

They jumped into the car and drove off as Paul put an arm around Isabel and both waved as the Impala disappeared down the street.

Half an hour after they jumped on the interstate, an object on the backseat caught Dean's attention. He reached back with his arm and pulled a black backpack to the front. There was a big red bow on it.

"What's this?" He asked.

"I don't know" Sam said as he opened the pack.

Dean glanced over to the open pack and burst out in laughter. It was full of Snickers bars "Awesome!"

"Your favorite" Sam said pulling two bars out and handing one to Dean.

"Guess what else she gave me?" Dean said taking a mouthful of the candy bar and reaching into the inside pocket of his jacket to pull out the credit card and handed it to Sam.

"A credit card?" Sam said.

"Check out the name"

Sam laughed out loud as he read the name on the card "Chester Morningwood?"

Dean shrugged "I kinda like it"

"It sounds like a porn star name from the seventies" Sam said handing him back the card.

Dean laughed and put on his best Swedish accent "Hello ma'am, I'm here to clean your pool"

They laughed and drove through Kansas into Texas. Their visit to Lawrence, though not as uneventful as they had planned, had considerably lifted their moods after the events of Chicago. It had been great to see their cousin, and even better to see her so happy. A huge load was lifted and now they just needed to kill time before they spoke to their dad again. In the back of Sam's mind there was a nagging feeling that everything had been wrapped up too neatly, but he didn't say anything to Dean. What was that saying? If everything is fine, then you've obviously overlooked something. He shook the feeling off and indulged in the peace of the moment, not knowing that soon, very soon, everything would fall apart.


	22. Are You Sitting Down For This?

AN: I know this isn't coming along too quickly, but you'll be glad to know that even though we're just over halfway through, I've almost finished the last chapter. So at least, the end is mapped out. I'm still working on how to get there, though. You'll have to keep reading to find out how it ends, because I'm not going to give away clues! Sorry!

Caution: Spoilers for Provenance.

XXXXX

New Paltz, New York

"Chester Morningwood's Sperm Bank. You spank it, we bank it. How may I help you?"

"You always answer the phone like that?"

Dean was too glad to hear his cousin's voice on the other end of the line to get annoyed at her complete lack of ability to take anything seriously. It was one of the things he really loved about her.

"No, I've got caller ID" She said with a giggle "You like that?"

"Yeah, real funny" He said sardonically.

"What can I say? I'm a riot and a half" She said "Where are you calling from? You're not still in Texas, are you? Or was it Wisconsin? I've lost track"

"No, we're in uh…upstate New York" Dean said.

"What are you doing up there?" She asked curiously.

Last time they'd spoken, her cousins were still in Texas investigating a haunted house and torturing each other with an endless series of practical jokes. As they each related her with detailed accounts of the pranks they'd played on each other, she'd been inwardly glad she wasn't with them during that phase. Or Maybe they'd been in Wisconsin, hunting that thing that sucked the life out of children. Again, she was glad she hadn't been there for that either. It was so hard to keep track of them when they spent their whole time wondering from state to state.

"Sam and I went to an art gallery and now we've just checked into a motel. You should see this place! It's got this weird retro disco décor. It's absolutely ghastly" He looked around the room in abhorrence "_You'd _probably love it"

"Really?" She asked in disbelief "_You_ went to an art gallery?"

Dean rolled his eyes "Of course out of everything I said, you'd focus on _that_! It's part of a hunt. We're investigating a strange…occurrence"

"You don't say" She said in mock surprise "I haven't heard from you in almost a week!"

"You've got our numbers too, you know? You have fingers, you can dial" He argued defensively "We've been very busy"

"OK, OK, jeez! Don't get your panties in a twist. I was just saying!" She huffed before pausing "Actually, I've kinda been avoiding calling you because I have something to tell you and I didn't know how best to do it"

Dean stopped unpacking and sat down on the bed, watching Sam as he plugged in his laptop across the room from him. Isabel always had a habit of saying whatever was on her mind and not holding back, at least, not with her cousins. If she was hesitant about telling him something, it had to be big. Oh great, he thought, what now?

"What is it?" He whispered "You know you can tell me anything"

"I know" She said uncertainly "Just promise me you won't freak out"

"That doesn't sound promising" He said, knowing instantly that he probably would. He tried not to groan as he envisioned the possibilities. The problem was that with Isabel, there tended to be no predictability.

"I…I'm getting married" She shrieked in excitement. Dean was silent on the other side of the line and even though she knew he'd heard her perfectly, she called out to him "Dean? Did you hear me? You there?"

He shook his head to try to help himself out of his stupor. Sam was now looking at him weirdly.

"Yeah, I'm here" He said blankly "I…you what?"

"Paul and I are getting married" She repeated, this time she let out a scream of pure elation, making him wince away from the phone. She continued breathlessly "He proposed to me yesterday! Can you believe it?"

"Isabel" Dean started slowly squeezing the bridge of his nose with his free hand. He wasn't sure how to react. On a certain level, he supposed he should have expected this "You've only just moved in together. Isn't it a bit too soon?"

"We've been together for over six months now, Dean!" She argued. She was prepared for him not to take too warmly to the news, especially after everything she'd gone through. But surely he knew she was happy with Paul. And he liked Paul, he'd said it himself!

"I'm just saying you shouldn't rush things" He looked back up at Sam who was whispering to him.

"What's going on?" His brother asked curiously.

"I told him about what happened in Illinois" She said seriously "I told him everything"

"And what happened?"

"I cried…a lot…then he cried" She said "Then he asked me to marry him"

"When, Bel?"

"In a couple of months"

"That soon?" He asked, his voice rising in pitch "Can't you wait a little longer to see if the engagement even sticks?"

"Dean!" She scoffed in offence. She knew Dean had no affection or longing for long term relationships, and to be honest, this was the first one for her. But she knew Paul was the one for her. Something she figured Dean couldn't quite grasp yet "I'm telling you I'm getting married, can you at least pretend to be happy for me?"

"I _am_ pretending!" He said without thinking.

"Dean! Be happy for me, please? I am!"

It wasn't that he wasn't happy for her. He was. He was thrilled for her. But everything involving Isabel was moving so fast, he felt like he'd never catch up. It had been just over six months since he'd been reunited with his cousin, after an eight year separation. And so much had happened in those six months. Not just to her but to all of them. Now she wanted to add a wedding!

"Of course I'm happy for you" He said "It's just…are you sure it's what you want?"

"It's exactly what I want" she said adamantly.

"OK then" He said more gently "You have my blessing"

He heard her snort loudly "Well, I wasn't actually asking for your permission, but thanks…I guess. Hey listen, don't tell Sam, OK? I want to tell him. Put him on"

"Oh, Sam's actually getting ready for a date" Dean said smirking at his brother.

"No way! Really?" She asked excited "Ooh, tell me about it! Who is she?"

"Sarah, this girl we met at the art gallery" He said, sitting back against the headboard as he studied his brother, knowing Sam was starting to get uncomfortable "They talked about art and stuff, and then he asked her out for dinner"

"_He_ asked her out? Oh my God" She said "I'm speechless"

"I sincerely doubt that" Dean said snidely.

"She hot?" Isabel asked, ignoring his comment.

"Oh yeah" Dean said "Disturbing actually, she looks a little like you"

"I will take that as a compliment" She said haughtily.

"He's giving me the evil eye, Isabel" Dean said as Sam shot glares at him from the other side of the room "He knows we're talking about him. He's getting all nervous now. I suppose it's been a long time since he's been out with a girl"

He coolly leaned slightly to the side as he dodged a bottle of water Sam threw at him, laughing at his brother's discomfort.

"Tell him to loosen up" Isabel said "If he plays it cool I'll bet he can close tonight. I can give him some pointers if he needs"

"Isabel says she can give you a few pointers so you can seal the deal tonight, bro" Dean said crudely to Sam.

"I'm not going to sleep with her!" Sam said annoyed "This is research!"

"You hear that?" Dean asked mockingly into the phone "Research"

"Yeah, I heard" Isabel said "Tell him if he doesn't use it… it'll drop off. It's a scientific fact"

Dean chuckled "She says if you don't use it'll drop off"

Sam rolled his eyes and walked towards his brother "Are you two just gonna make fun of me over the phone, or do I get to talk to her too?" Sam asked impatiently as he held out his hand to Dean.

"I think we've hurt his feelings, Bel" Dean said to his cousin, still chuckling "He wants to talk to you"

"Good, I want to ask him if he wants to be my bridesmaid" She said.

He laughed again, ignoring Sam's glower "OK, I'm gonna go and let you guys talk. Bye kitten"

"Bye" She said and waited for Sam to come on.

"Hi Bel" Sam said trying to retain his annoyance and not sound happy to be talking to her "How's it going?"

"Really good, Sam" She said "I have big news! Huge! Sit down"

He sat down on the bed next to Dean "What?"

"Are you sitting down?" She insisted.

"Yes, Isabel" He said with another impatient roll of his eyes "What?"

"Paul proposed to me last night!" She said quickly in one breath.

"Wow, that's…" He stammered unsurely "Wow… it's so exciting…I…"

"You knew, didn't you?" She asked witheringly at Sam's pathetic attempt to feign surprise.

Sam sighed "Yeah, he told me before we left that he was going to ask you"

"Fantastic" She said sarcastically. She should have known "Well, I said yes"

"Congratulations, Bel"

"Thanks Sammy" She said "Well, I better go. I've got a bachelorette party to attend this evening"

"Isn't it a little early for that?"

"It's not mine. It's Jenny's"

"Jenny's getting married?" Sam asked surprised.

"Next Sunday!" Isabel said "It's just a plain, small ceremony. But we got her a stripper tonight. I'm really looking forward to it; he's coming as a fireman. You know how I feel about firemen"

"Yes and thank you Isabel, for sharing" He said, hoping she would just leave it at that. But no such luck.

"You wanna hear something even more disturbing?"

"Not really"

"Missouri was going to babysit Sarry and Richie tonight, but when she heard there was going to be a stripper she said she wouldn't miss it for the world"

"Isabel, don't" But he knew she was going to continue.

"You know, I've never partied with Missouri. I wonder what she'll be like" Isabel mused "Want me to tell you all about it next time we talk?"

He suddenly got the unwelcome and immensely frightening image of a drunk and rowdy Missouri Mosely cheering on a scantily dressed fireman "I beg you not to"

He heard her laugh "I'll take pictures"

"I'm gonna hang up now" He said.

"Yeah, you go get ready for your date, Sam" She said with a chuckle before her tone warmed and softened "This is a really good thing, Sam. Have a good time tonight, OK? Don't be nervous"

"Well, I am"

"Don't be" She said "You're a great guy, Sam"

"You're just saying that because we're family"

"No, I'm saying that because I know you" She said "You go knock her off her feet now"

He smiled at her encouragement, and took a deep breath. He needed to hear that "Thanks. Talk to you soon?"

"Not tomorrow, I intend to spend the whole day nursing my hangover"

"You be a good girl tonight" He warned her knowing full well she wouldn't.

"Sam, good girls are just bad girls that never get caught" She said playfully.

"OK then, have fun"

"Ah, that I will" She said "Love you and talk to you soon"

They hung up and Sam and Dean looked at each other. Dean's expression was accusatory but with an underlying amusement.

"You knew?"

"Yeah, Paul told me he was going to ask her" Sam said "He was actually going to do it on her birthday, but with us being there…he didn't want to steal our thunder. Also, he said he was afraid of us"

Dean shook his head and let out a chuckle "Jesus! Never a dull moment with that girl, is there?"

XXXXXXXXX

OK, one hint…that was the last of the happy chapters for a while.

Pleaser review. Toodles, AT


	23. Do You Trust Me?

Caution: Spoilers for Salvation.

XXXXXXX

Salvation, Iowa

John came back. In Colorado. And with him came the startling revelation that he'd tracked down the demon to Salvation, Iowa. With him also came a considerable amount of tension. It seemed like yesterday since Sam and Dean had enjoyed the relative peace of visiting Isabel in Lawrence, though in reality it had already been almost two months. In contrast, though their father had come back only about a week ago, with all the friction bubbling under the surface and the never ending series of arguments, it had felt infinitely longer.

Now, with John's latest discovery that his younger son was the reluctant owner of psychic visions, the heat had once again returned, and the simmering tension was now rapidly approaching boiling point. The small motel room they were standing in, seemed to start shrinking. It was obviously a discovery that didn't sit well with him.

"A vision?" John asked Sam.

"Yes. I saw the demon burning a woman on the ceiling" Sam explained, thinking of the young mother he'd met earlier. Monica. She was next.

"And you think it's going to happen to this woman you met because….?"

"Because these things happen exactly the way I see them"

Dean's cell started ringing in the middle of the argument. Sam and Dean both looked around for it but John seemed to not have even noticed. He was too focused on this new revelation about Sam. He'd known Sam had powers. He'd known Sam had dreams. He'd never anticipated he would have visions involving the demon and was shocked that his sons would keep something so big from him.

"It started out as nightmares, and then he started having them when he was awake" Dean continued as he walked to the other side of the room where his phone was sitting, on one of the beds.

"Leave it" John said sternly to Dean before turning to Sam "Sam?"

"Yeah. It's like the closer I get to anything involving the demon, the stronger the visions get"

The ringing stopped and John looked from Sam to Dean "All right, when were you going tell me about this?"

"We didn't know what it meant"

The phone started ringing again and Dean bent down to pick it up.

"Let it ring" John said, not wanting any interruptions to this conversation.

Dean looked at the name on the screen as it flashed "It's Isabel"

"Let it ring!" John shouted loudly. Dean looked down at his flashing phone then dropped it back on the bed with an exaggerated sigh "All right, something like this starts happening to your brother, you pick up the phone, and you call me.

"Call you?" Dean asked, incredulous "Are you kidding me? Dad, I called you from Lawrence, all right? Sam called you when I was dying. Getting you on the phone…I've got a better chance of winning the lottery"

"You're right" John admitted to his son "Although I'm not real crazy about this new tone of yours, you're right. I'm sorry"

"Look, guys, visions or no visions, the fact is, we know the demon is coming tonight" Sam cut in "And this family's going to go through the same hell that we went through"

"No, they're not. No one is, ever again" John said determined. Sam's phone started ringing and John let out an irritated groan "Answer it. Find out what she wants"

But it wasn't Isabel. It was Meg. Sam couldn't believe it, how could she not have died from that huge fall? He didn't have time to ask her before she demanded to speak to John. Unsuccessful in trying to convince her that their father wasn't with them, Sam finally had to hand over the phone to him.

First, she cheerfully told John she was responsible for Jim Murphy's death. Then she made him listen to Caleb as he slowly died. All for the colt. He tried to tell her he didn't have it.

"We know you have the gun, John. Word travels fast" Not convinced in the slightest that the gun wasn't in his possession "So, as far as we're concerned, you just declared war. And this is what war looks like…it has casualties. I'm thinking of making my way down to Lawrence next"

"What?" The walls closed further in around him and he struggled to not let on to his sons the frightening direction the conversation had taken.

"Yeah. I've been dying to catch up with Isabel. What's that crazy niece of yours up to these days?" She asked happily "I heard she's going to marry that egghead, is it true?"

John was about to lose his cool, about to yell at her to leave Isabel out of it. But with Sam and Dean watching and listening intently to his side of the conversation, he had fight the urge, for the sake of avoiding chaos "I'm gonna kill you, you know that?"

"Oh, John, please. Mind your blood pressure. So, this is the thing…we're gonna keep doing what we're doing, and your friends, anyone who has ever helped you, gave you shelter, anyone you ever loved…they'll all die unless you give us that gun" She said calmly "I'm waiting, Johnny. You better answer or you'll be going to Isabel's funeral instead of her wedding. That is, if you're invited"

"Okay" John said defeated.

She wanted to meet that night, at midnight, in Lincoln. He tried to tell her there was no way he could make it there in time. But Meg would not have that.

"Oh. Then I guess you can start crossing Missouri and Isabel off your address book. And tell your boys to do the same" She paused for effect then continued "If you do decide to make it, come alone"

She hung up, leaving John to explain to his sons what had just happened. He thought about leaving certain things out, particularly Meg's comments about Isabel. In the end he decided that it was too late in the game to keep anything from them, too much was at stake. What they needed now was a strategy. Meg was alive, she was most likely a demon and they needed to deal with her request or risk someone else close to them dying.

"So, you think Meg is a demon?" Sam asked after they'd gone over the conversation.

"Either that or she's possessed by one" John said "It doesn't really matter"

"What do we do?" Dean asked his father. Time to get down to business.

"I'm going to Lincoln"

"What?"

"It doesn't seem like I have a choice. If I don't go, a lot of people die. Our friends die" John said looking from Dean to Sam "Isabel and Missouri will die"

"We have to warn them" Dean argued as he started pacing "We have to get to Lawrence"

"No" John said, quickly cutting off Dean's line of thinking "That's too risky"

"We're gonna sit here and hope she was bluffing?" He asked his dad. There was no way in hell he was going to leave Isabel alone if there was even the slightest chance she might be in danger.

"No" John said "You're going to call your cousin and tell her to get the hell out of Lawrence"

"And go where?"

"Anywhere" John yelled "Anywhere but there! If you go there, you'll drag her into this. No!"

"But dad…"

"No, Dean!" John yelled again "Make that call. You get her out of there. She won't listen to me, but she'll listen to you"

"She's listened to you before" Dean muttered under his breath.

"Don't start that again, Dean"

"If you can talk her into ditching us and staying in Kansas, you can talk her into leaving again" Dean replied angrily "Why don't you just give her the same little speech you gave her last time?"

"This isn't the time for this" Sam interrupted, knowing that his father and brother could argue about this endlessly, when what they needed to do was address the issue at hand "Dad, the demon is coming tonight for Monica and her family. That gun is all we've got. You can't just hand it over"

But that was not what John was thinking. No, he had a plan. A risky plan, bordering on suicidal, but it was a plan nonetheless. He left not long after, with a gun picked up at a pawn shop he hoped would look close enough to the colt that Meg would take it, and if nothing else, would buy his sons time to take out the demon.

XXXXXX

It had all been leading up to that night and a million thoughts and emotions were running though both Sam and Dean. Dean's heart was racing, beating so hard he could actually feel and hear the blood pumping violently against his eardrums. Fear, excitement and so much worry. Worry for his father and whatever he was about to face that night, worry for his brother and himself, moments away from fighting the demon they'd been hunting since either of them could remember, and worry for his cousin and Missouri. The latter he could take care of right away. The first thing to do before facing this demon was to remove the threat to Isabel and Missouri, and effectively remove all thoughts and concerns about them from his mind. Dean pulled out his phone and dialed Isabel's number. He waited for her to answer as Sam looked at him from the passenger seat.

"Now? You're calling her _now_?"

"I don't know what's going to happen tonight, Sam. We can't go in worrying about her" Dean said "Better safe than sorry"

Sam nodded in agreement. Dean was right. However, he feared what and how his brother was going to tell her "Just try not to freak her out, she may…"

"Shh" Dean said quickly as he heard his cousin's voice "Bel?"

"Dean!" She said "I've been trying to call you"

"I know" He said "Something happen?"

"No. I just got back from Missouri's. Thank Christ you're OK" She said "Are you guys still in Colorado?"

"No, we're in Iowa"

"Not the Hookman again, I hope?"

"No, it's not the Hookman"

"So what is it you're hunting? More vampires?" She teased.

"The demon"

There was a long silence on the other end of the line as Isabel took it in "Serious?"

"Yeah"

"Oh my God" She whispered "I knew it! That's why I was calling you"

"Knew what?"

"I was talking to Missouri tonight and…when I mentioned you guys she…she got this look on her face" Isabel said "I can't explain it but, I got this weird feeling something was…about to happen"

"Something _is_ about to happen. We've tracked down the demon" Dean said "Isabel, I need to ask you something"

"What?" She asked anxiously.

"Do you trust me?"

"What kind of a question is that?"

"An important one" He said "Do you trust me?"

"Of course I do. With my life" She said without hesitation "What do you need?"

"I need you and Missouri to pack your bags and leave Lawrence, tonight" He said quickly with a glance towards Sam.

"What?"

"I want you to get out of Lawrence. Now"

"Dean, what are you talking about?" She asked confused "Let me talk to Sam"

"No, Bel" Dean said, already expecting she wouldn't take too warmly to his request "I'm serious. Meg is alive"

"Alive?"

"Yes, she's alive and she might come after you and Missouri, probably not, but we can't take that chance"

"This is insane, Dean"

"Please Isabel, please do this" Dean pleaded, knowing they didn't have much time "We can't go into this worrying about you. Please tell me you'll do it"

She was quiet for a moment as she thought about what he said, what he'd asked of her. Of course she would do it. She would do anything he asked her "Where should I go?"

"Anywhere" He said with a sigh of relief, a weight off his shoulders "Not too close. Don't tell anyone. Don't even tell _me_"

"What about Paul?"

"Is he still working in Los Angeles?"

"Yes, for another week"

"Don't tell him either" Dean said "It should be over by then. We'll call you as soon as this is over"

"Dean, I'm scared" She said suddenly.

"Don't worry. Just leave now and you'll be fine" He assured her.

"For _you _Dean, I'm scared for _you_"

"I'm scared for you too, that's why I need you to do this"

She sighed deeply "Let me talk to Sam"

"No" He said, fearing she would try to talk his brother out of fighting the demon, or even worse, into agreeing with her to come along or something equally dangerous.

"Put Sam on" She insisted.

Dean turned to Sam and held out the phone. Sam looked at it blankly, softly shaking his head.

"I can't" He said in a defeated tone. He was afraid Isabel would get emotional, as she commonly did, and in turn bring out emotions in him which were probably better left aside to deal with at another time.

There was silence on the line and Isabel guessed that either Dean was reluctant to let her talk to Sam, or Sam himself didn't want to talk to her. Too bad, she thought, this was the most important and dangerous night of her cousin's lives and there was no way in hell she wasn't going to get an 'I love you' in before she let them go off into battle. She was ready to flee Lawrence for them, with hardly a protest. They owed her.

"Dean, I'm not going anywhere until I hear his voice" She said forcefully "What if this is the last time I talk to either of you? You can't do this to me. Put him on now!"

He held out the phone again for Sam and looked at his brother pleadingly "Talk to her"

Sam grabbed the phone and took a deep calming breath "Bel?"

"Sam?" She called out and he could tell that tears weren't far off "Tell me everything is going to be OK"

"Everything is going to be OK" He repeated as steadily as he could.

"Promise me you'll finish this tonight. Promise me it's going to be over soon" Her voice broke and she sniffed back tears "I can't do this anymore. I'm worried, I'm scared…all the time. It hurts. I can't do it anymore"

"We're going to finish this. Tonight"

"Please don't do anything stupid" She said "You and Dean come first, you hear me? _Not_ killing that demon. _You_!"

"We will see you again soon, Bel, I promise" He said, sniffing back his own tears. He was glad she seemed to be handling this better than expected, though he was certain she would break down as soon as they hung up. It didn't matter, as long as she left "Please promise me you'll leave. Promise"

"I will"

"Take all the stuff we left with you. The gun, the pendant. Go somewhere, then salt all the doors and windows. Use the chalk to draw the signs we taught you. Don't call…'

"I know, Sam!" She said cutting him off "I'll do it"

"We gotta go" He said, wanting to move on with this.

"I love you"

"I love you too" He said and handed the phone back to Dean.

"Happy?" Dean asked her.

"Happy?" She asked incredulous "If you were here I'd slap you!"

He snorted "You can slap me next time you see me"

"I will" She said.

"We gotta go, Bel"

"My wedding is in five weeks, Dean" She said. The hidden message: please be alive and there for it.

"We'll be there" he said placating her.

"You better" She said "I want _you_ to give me away"

"I'll be there" He repeated fervently.

"Call me when you're done?"

"I will" He said "Now go. Quick"

"OK. I love you" She said, then hung up before he could reply.

"Love you too, kitten" He whispered to the silent phone. He put the phone back in his pocket and looked over at Sam "That went better than I'd expected"

"Think we should call Missouri?" Sam asked "Just in case, I mean… she said she'd do it, but do you really think she'll get out of Lawrence?"

"Yeah, she will" Dean said "She was scared. She will"

"You're right"

"So, what are we going to do about this?" Dean asked gesturing to the house.

With that, Isabel and Missouri were taken care of and the focus could be brought back to what they were here to do. It probably should have dawned on Dean and Sam that their cousin was the last thing they needed to worry about that night. They would come to that realization later though, once it was too late and their own lives were hanging on the balance.

XXXXXX

AN: Thank you everyone for reading, and for those who've been reviewing. You guys are awesome! It's all downhill from here I'm afraid. Angst, drama and a little more angst. Toodles, AT.


	24. What a Difference a Day Made

Caution: Spoilers for Devil's Trap

XXXXXXX

Fort Worth, Texas

"Stop pacing, child. It's making me nervous"

Isabel stopped in her tracks and turned to regard Missouri with a look of utter disbelief.

"Oh, is it Missouri? Making _you_ nervous?" She responded scathingly.

The psychic let out a sigh of defeat and leaned back against her wicker chair. Isabel, content that Missouri had recognized the absurdity of her comment, nodded satisfactorily and resumed pacing the length of the small motel room. She glanced at the digital clock between the double beds then confirmed the time by looking down at her own watch, as if suspicious the clock might be lying. It wasn't.

It had been exactly 24 hours since she'd hung up with her cousins. 23 hours since she'd knocked on Missouri's front door with a suitcase by her feet and watched patiently as, without question or aggressive persuasion on her part, her friend and surrogate foster mother quickly packed one of her own. 22 hours since they'd both jumped into Paul's SUV and without a word to anyone they knew, tore out of Lawrence, Kansas, figuring that since the boys were up North in Iowa, they should head south. 20 hours since they crossed over the state border to Oklahoma. 12 hours since the sun started to rise over the horizon as they reached Texas and Missouri had said they'd gone far enough for the night. She suggested they stop in Fort Worth, get something to eat and rest.

This had suited Isabel fine, who didn't really want to run any further than she had to. She didn't think they could go any more south than Texas anyway. They'd been driving nonstop overnight and took turns, only stopping for coffee and bathroom visits. They were exhausted. A barely touched breakfast, six hours of sleep and two hours of pacing later and here they were; in a motel room in Fort Worth, Texas. Just like Sam and Dean had asked, no one knew where either of them was and they'd even used fake names and paid for the room in cash.

Interestingly, Isabel found she wasn't very concerned about herself or Missouri. Mostly because deep down, she hadn't really believed they were in any immediate danger. This, she felt, was supported by Missouri's demeanor. The psychic wasn't worried, she wasn't afraid and she even went as far as to say to Isabel that they didn't have anything to worry about. Interesting turn of phrase, Isabel thought, because she sure as hell had something to worry about - Sam and Dean. They'd said they were going after the demon last night and would contact her as soon as the whole thing was over. Yet here she was, twenty four hours later. Pacing. Well, pacing and counting down hours. That was all that she could do. Until Missouri broke the silence again.

"Why don't you take one of your pills?"

Again, Isabel turned to Missouri sharply, but this time in surprise. Missouri had never spoken to Isabel about her 'medication', and had never ever encouraged her to take any form of it. Even when Isabel had been depressed after Sam and Dean left her in Kansas to search for their dad almost a year ago, even when she'd been worried sick about her cousins on the road, hunting down who knew what. Missouri would always encourage Isabel to sit down with her over a cup of tea, talk things out and get everything that was bothering her off her chest. Isabel became instantly suspicious and wary that she had chosen this very moment to become an advocate for prescription sedatives.

But maybe her approach had worked. Isabel frowned and shook her head in the negative, and taking a seat on the end of one of the beds, she faced Missouri. Perhaps a healthy dose of perspective was all she needed. She calmed down considerably.

"I'm just scared" She admitted unnecessarily to the psychic, who could probably sense _it_ along with a myriad of similarly chilling emotions rolling off of her anyway. Sometimes it felt so good to talk to Missouri, because with her you didn't have to hold back. There was no use.

"I know child, but we have to wait this out" Missouri said soothingly.

"It's been twenty four hours" Isabel said, staring at her cell phone for the hundredth time that day "They should have called by now"

"Maybe we should go for a walk, get something to eat" Missouri suggested, noting it was dinner time.

"If I eat anything, I'll throw up" Isabel said. She looked down at her hands and groaned "Damn! I'm getting married in five weeks and I can't stop biting my nails. At this rate I won't have any nails left, I might as ..."

Isabel's cell started ringing and she bolted from the bed, almost tripping over Missouri on her way to the dresser. She looked at the ID and screamed in frustration. It was Paul. Missouri must have guessed it was her fiancé, because she looked directly at Isabel and shook her head.

"Don't answer it"

They had already stopped at a payphone just outside of Texas to call Paul. Well, not exactly him. They'd called the hotel he was staying at in Los Angeles and left a message at the reception for him. It went something along the lines of…

_Paul, honey, it's me. Hope your conference is going well. Just thought I'd let you know Missouri is visiting an old client in Utah and she asked me to go along with her. We'll be gone for a few days. I'll call you as soon as we're back. Love you, miss you, bye_

He obviously must have found it odd that she hadn't called him directly to tell him. Seven missed calls from him. She watched sadly as her cell rang for the last time, once more leaving her and Missouri in a room charged with taut silence. Eight missed calls.

"This is killing me Missouri" Isabel said as she made her way slowly back to the bed. This time she didn't sit down, she let herself fall back onto the bed like a sack of potatoes. She stared at the ceiling as she lay on her back "Can you sense anything? Anything at all?"

"No, dear" Missouri answered patiently. She'd already told Isabel that they were too far away for her to feel or sense anything involving Sam and Dean.

"If anything happens to them…I think I might just snap" She said with a long drawn out breath.

Missouri didn't say anything. Isabel didn't need to hear her say everything was going to work out, that her cousins would be fine, that they should just kick back and wait for that happy ending to arrive. No. What Isabel needed to hear was Sam and Dean's voice, telling her they were safe and that it was all over. Anything short of that would be lip service. Isabel didn't like to be humored. She would rather you keep your mouth shut than give her false hope. So Missouri did just that. She kept her mouth shut.

Isabel closed her eyes and for the first time that day, finally let her mind wonder. She remembered talking to her mom. She'd been a teenager and old enough to understand at that point what Uncle John and her cousins really did for a living. Her parents had been secretive about it, John himself had been evasive, Sam would change the subject, but Dean had been completely upfront about it. He'd had no qualms whatsoever with telling her about ghosts, demons and monsters. She'd been fascinated, scared and only slightly envious of their exciting lifestyle.

She'd confronted her mother about it, asked her if she'd known. She had. They had a fight. The only fight she could remember having with her mother. Why hadn't she told her about it? Why had she never heard about how Aunt Mary had really died? Why were John and her cousins in a different town each time they visited? Why were Sam and Dean never there for her birthday? Her mom had been quite philosophical about it, approaching the difficult topic from an angle she knew her teenage daughter would understand. She'd pointed out to Isabel, that she had a privileged life. She was head of the cheerleading squad, her grades were excellent, she was dating the most popular boy at school, she had a million friends, a million parties to go to.

"_Now, picture yourself at one of these parties on Friday night. You're there with all your friends. You've aced another one of your tests, you've just cheered your boyfriend to another legendary football victory, you're dancing the night away..." _Her mom had softly spoken, making Isabel smile as she pictured a typical Friday night in her life_ "Now, imagine what your cousins are doing. Where do you think they are at that very moment? I'll give you a hint…they're not at a party"_

It all came out that night. A week before she would never be able to speak to her mom again. A week before she would ask her uncle if she could go live with him, if she could join them, because really, she didn't mind what they did… _'I know about what you do, Uncle John, and really, I don't care, maybe I can help you'_ she'd asked him. No, she'd begged him. Deep down, she didn't really want to go live with them. But with her mom and dad gone, there was no one to turn to. She very quickly realized her friends were only her friends so long as she didn't drag them down with her 'issues'. Her boyfriend was only her boyfriend as long as she didn't 'complicate' things for him. She'd suddenly become an uncomfortable dead weight to everyone she knew.

All the while she wondered. What are Dean and Sam doing right now? During her parents' funeral, during her two years in foster care, when their birthdays came around, Christmas, Thanksgiving. So many times her mind would ask her in her mom's voice. _What do you think Dean and Sam are doing right now?_

Her mind eventually stopped asking her that. After those few horrible years following her parents' death, she finally realized that her cousins' lives were nothing to be envious of. After a few years, it as almost as if she'd forgotten, pushed it back in her mind, behind years of anger, betrayal and bitterness stemming from their abandonment. Yet here it was again. Loud and clear, in her mom's sweet velvety voice…

_What do you think Sam and Dean are doing right now?_

XXXXXXXXX

Whichever way Sam and Dean looked at the situation, the confrontation with the demon had been nothing short of a complete and utter disaster. The only comfort the Winchesters could take at that moment was that they were alive. That had been the only upside. And even then, it didn't look like it would last long.

With Meg and her supposed demon brother dead, it basically left only the demon for them to worry about and kill. Unfortunately for Sam and Dean, there was huge obstacle between themselves and the demon – John Winchester. The demon had been smart. Smarter than them. And he'd chosen the ultimate way to protect himself. He'd possessed their father, knowing that neither Sam nor Dean had it in them to kill him while John's life was at stake. He'd counted on that. And here he was now, with the upper hand.

The Winchesters had been a major thorn in his side, and damn him if he wasn't going to have some fun with them first. Sam rose to the bait first.

"I want to know why. Why'd you do it?"

The demon turned to Sam "You mean, why did I kill Mommy and pretty little Jess?"

"Yeah"

He turned to Dean next , who was helplessly pinned against the wall of the cabin "You know, I never told you this, but Sam was going to ask her to marry him. Been shopping for rings and everything" He left Dean to chew over that bit of information and returned his attention to Sam "You want to know why? Because they got in the way"

"In the way of what?" Sam asked shakily.

The only other person who'd known about his intention to propose to Jessica was Isabel. He'd told her about it almost a year ago. It was more than unsettling to realize that this demon knew so much more about them when they hardly knew anything about it.

"My plans for you, Sammy. You….and all the children like you"

"Listen….you mind just getting this over with, huh? 'Cause I really can't stand the monologuing"

Dean interrupted the demon, who turned back to the older brother with a sadistic glint in its yellow eyes.

"Funny" He said darkly "But that's all part of your M.O., isn't it? Mask all that nasty pain. Mask the truth"

"Oh, yeah? What's that?" Dean responded, walking himself into the mental trap.

"You know, you fight and you fight for this family, but the truth is….they don't need you. Not like you need them. Your dad left you behind to look for me on his own. Sam left for college, built himself a new life. Even your cousin Isabel, with all that baggage, still ditched you and manages to live perfectly fine without you" He smiled viciously and repeated his hateful words, knowing the impact they would have on Dean "They don't need you"

"It's not true" Dean said unevenly.

It only made the demon smile wider "Sam here…he's clearly John's favorite. Even when they fight. It's more concern than he's ever shown you"

It got to him, just like the demon had anticipated. Too hotheaded to let things slide, Dean chose the wrong moment and the wrong way to antagonize the demon.

"I bet you're real proud of your kids, too, huh? Oh, wait, I forgot. I wasted them"

The rest was a blur. Dean remembered excruciating pain while his brother shouted out for him across the room.

"Dean! No!"

John was able to momentarily fight the demon occupying his body, enough to let Dean and Sam go, and beg for his younger son to kill him. John Winchester knew what was at stake and he knew that this was the time to take the demon out, regardless of collateral.

But Sam couldn't do it. Just like the demon had predicted, the youngest Winchester didn't have it in him. Dean wouldn't have been able to do it either. The only person who might have sacrificed his own flesh and blood, his own family, to obliterate the demon from existence, was John Winchester himself. Cutting his losses for the night, the demon left John's battered body in a cloud of black smoke and disappeared to bide his time.

The three Winchesters were left in the aftermath, beaten and bruised. They piled gingerly into the Impala and headed for the nearest hospital in Jefferson City.

"Just hold on, all right? Hospital's only ten minutes away" Sam said glancing briefly at his watch. It had been almost 24 hours since they'd spoken to Isabel. Not knowing where the demon had gone off to, or what he planned on doing next, he could only hope that she and Missouri were far from Lawrence.

"I'm surprised at you, Sammy. Why didn't you kill it?" John cut into Sam's thoughts "I thought we saw eye to eye on this…killing this demon comes first. Before me, before everything"

"No, sir. Not before everything" Sam said, glancing at his brother on the rearview mirror "Look, we still have the Colt. We still have the one bullet left. We just have to start over, all right, I mean, we already found the demon…"

But he didn't get to finish that thought before he saw a blinding light charging towards them out of the corner of his eye. The Impala shook from the impact and force of the speeding semi trailer that ran straight into its side and then everything went black.

XXXXXXXX

She must have fallen asleep, because when Isabel opened her eyes, the motel room was once more bathed in sunlight. She craned her neck and looked at the clock. It was six in the morning. She slowly turned towards the sound that had woken her up. It was getting louder, as if moving towards her. She sat up groggily as saw Missouri walking over to her. She was holding something in her hand. Isabel's phone. She held it out to her.

"Answer it" Missouri said softly.

Even in her half asleep state, Isabel remembered Sam and Dean's orders to not answer her phone. Not even if Paul rang. She frowned and shook her head.

"No, I shouldn't" She said.

"It's not Paul" Missouri said solemnly "Answer it"

And just like that, Isabel was wide awake. A rush of adrenaline, a chill down her spine, a quickening of her heart beat, cold sweat…all this and she still thought she might faint. She grabbed the phone from Missouri slowly and took a deep breath. She flipped it open and closed her eyes as tears formed in her eyes, ready to fall as soon as the situation warranted. She tried to swallow but her mouth was dry. Her voice was raspy and tentative.

"Hello?"

"Bel?"

She sobbed and looked up at Missouri with a smile. She closed her eyes again, this time in relief. The tears fell unnecessarily.

"Sam!" She said with a nervous laugh "You're OK"

"I'm OK" He replied softly.

"Oh, thank God!" She breathed out as she wiped off tears "Where are you?"

"Jefferson City, Missouri. How quickly can you get here?"

"Why?" She asked, noticing her cousin's voice was heavy with emotion "Did you get the demon?"

"No, Bel" He said shakily "There was an accident"

Just like that the relief vanished into thin air and the heart-stopping fear was back. If only you could freeze moments in time, until you were ready.

"Sam, what is it?" She asked instead.

"It's Dean" He said with a sniff "There isn't much time"

XXXXXX

AN: Thank you bunches for the reviews and for anyone still reading. This chapter pretty much fits with the season 1 storyline, but from now on they won't anymore. Strictly AU from here on in.

Toodles, AT.


	25. Another Day, Another Hospital

AN: This chapter just wrote itself, hence why so quick with the update. Hope you enjoy.

XXXXXX

Interstate 44, Missouri

It was all a blur. The entire 13 hours Isabel spent speeding up the interstate from Texas to Missouri, went by in a hazy blur of ice cold fear and flat, monotonous scenery. Yet while she was behind the steering wheel, she could feel time slipping through her fingers. She got two speeding tickets, one in Oklahoma, the other just after crossing the border into Missouri. She could have probably talked and flirted her way out of them easily, with the two male officers that stopped her. But her usual audacity and sassiness were gone, replaced instead by insolent impatience.

"I'm sorry" She'd said rudely to the second officer in Missouri, sounding anything but apologetic "Can you just give me the ticket so I can be on my way?"

Missouri apologized for her, excused her, politely explaining to the offended cop there was a family emergency. He nodded his head in understanding, but gave Isabel a ticket anyway, warning her to not speed, please.

She would then do the speed limit for the next ten to twenty minutes, before forgetting all about the highway police and deciding that she would rather risk getting a hundred speeding tickets than arrive at the hospital too late. She recalled Sam's voice. Sam's terrified, grief-stricken voice.

_There's been an accident_

She'd heard those words before and they had curdled her blood just the same. Nine years ago, a young police officer, no older than she was today, stood at her front door and uttered those exact same words. It had ended with her at Northwestern Memorial Hospital identifying her parents' bodies in the basement morgue. This was déjà vu at its worst, at its most bone-chilling. Nothing can ever, ever prepare you for what comes after those words.

Her composure was tenuous at best, and the only reason she was able to even sit behind the wheel of a speeding vehicle, was the knowledge that as of that morning, Dean was still alive. It was true, that a lot could happen in 13 hours, but she was determined to hang on to that last shred of hope. At least until she got both Missouri and herself safely to their destination.

Sam had been vague with details on the phone. Dean was in some sort of coma, the doctors didn't know if he would wake up soon, but he was stable, at least. Sam was fine, only minor injuries, nothing life threatening. John was fine too, he was sleeping. Then the conversation was cut short as she heard John obviously wake up on the other side of the line and warily ask Sam who he was talking to.

"Don't tell him" She tried to warn Sam. She knew, absolutely knew, John would be pissed Sam had called her. Sam had to know it too.

"Isabel" Sam said quickly, clearly not worried about his dad's reaction.

"Are you crazy?" She heard John's angry voice "Hang up! Now, Sam!"

"I told her about Dean" Sam continued, unperturbed "She's on her way"

"Tell her to stay where she is" John ordered "Tell her to stay put!"

"No!" Sam stood his ground defiantly.

"Dammit, Sam" John shouted "Isabel, do not come here!"

She was suddenly caught off guard. It was strange to be dragged into the conversation when she wasn't event there. She was angry with her uncle. If it had been up to him, she would have never found out Dean was dying. She shivered to think that if both Sam and Dean were in a coma, dying, she would have been sitting in Texas chewing the last remnants of her fingernails, completely unaware. Would he even have called her if they _had _died?

"Tell him to shove it" She said to Sam, knowing he would not repeat her words to John, but oh-so-wishing he would "I'll be there by tonight"

She hung up and stared at Missouri for a moment before both women, almost as if the response had been synchronized, packed up their things and ran out to the car. They sped off out of the motel car park without a word.

She looked at her watch. It had just passed midnight. Sam hadn't called back at all, and she wanted to assume that it meant no change in Dean's situation. For the better or worse. No news is good news, right? They were still a couple of hours away from Jefferson City. Her eyes were tiring now, but she'd refused Missouri's continuous requests that she let her drive. Isabel would shake her head. No. It wasn't that Missouri was a slow driver, or that Isabel was afraid that she would get them lost or anything like that. She just didn't think she could sit in the passenger seat and twiddle her thumbs. She needed something to do, and in a car, driving was pretty much the only activity available.

"You're speeding" Missouri said at length.

"I don't care"

"You wanna get pulled over again?" Missouri insisted "Why don't you let me drive?"

"No, Missouri"

"Do you want to talk about it?"

God, Missouri loved that question! Isabel let out a short gust of air through her nostrils as she tried to not go off at her friend while doing 80 miles an hour on the interstate.

"Missouri, seriously, just…don't" She warned her, as she swallowed the lump in her throat "I don't want to do this right now"

"No matter what happens, the sooner you deal with…"

"For Heaven's sake! Will you stop? Please!" She shouted at her friend, turning to her briefly with a look of complete exasperation. She turned back to the road and wiped her tears off, trying to focus her cloudy eyes back on the road.

"Honey…"

"There isn't much keeping me together right now. I'm _this_ close, Missouri" She said raising her hand and holding her thumb and index finger millimeters away from each other "_this_ close to losing it"

Missouri let it go, turned sideways to stare out the window and tried to fend off the surge of emotions radiating off of Isabel and praying she could get them to Jefferson City and not wrap them around a tree.

Jefferson City Hospital was smaller than Isabel had expected, yet still felt just like any other hospital. She'd been in so many in her short lifetime, and they all felt and smelled the same. Sadness, despair and a sense of dread no amount of industrial strength disinfectant or concentrated ammonia could ever get rid of.

Missouri was much better able to convey to the woman at the nurses' station in coherent words who they were and who they were looking for. The look the nurse gave them when they mentioned the name Winchester was all Isabel needed to see to know that she'd gotten there too late. She tried not to freak out prematurely, but the nurse wouldn't tell her anymore.

Minutes later a doctor came out to meet them. He was old, around sixty. He had white unruly hair, a thick matching moustache, and a ridiculous bow tie. Isabel thought he looked too kind to be giving her bad news, but she'd seen doctors shake their head sadly like that before as they came out to meet family members waiting for news of their loved ones. Nine years ago, in Chicago, a middle aged blonde trauma surgeon in green scrubs had given her the exact same look as she walked into the ER waiting room to tell Isabel that both her parents had died. '_There was nothing that we could do' _That's what she'd said, in a well-practiced sympathetic tone. Did they teach them that in medical school?

Slow motion. Everything was happening in slow motion, as if time itself took some sick pleasure out of drawing out her torture. The doctor slowly told her three men had been in the accident and air-lifted to the hospital that very morning. Was she related?

"Yes" She replied robotically.

There was some confusion regarding identification. Isabel tried to remain calm. How could she possibly tell the doctor that her cousins and uncle were supernatural ghost hunters and sometimes worked under aliases to cover up their credit card and insurance fraud?

"Dean and Sam Winchester are my cousins. John is their father, my uncle" She said finally, hoping he would just take that.

"Yes, I see" he said slowly with another solemn nod of his head. Isabel immediately figured that gesture was about to lead somewhere bad "Miss Bennett, I'm afraid we lost one of them not long ago. I realize…"

"Oh my God" She muttered blankly as all oxygen left her lungs. She felt Missouri's hand come to rest on her shoulder. She raised her own hand to her mouth, unsure if she was covering a gasp, a sob, or a scream "No"

As soon as she saw Sam running towards her, her façade crumbled. His face was puffy and his eyes were red. He'd been crying. Seeing him like that undid her, and when his arms tightened around her, she let herself break down and cried. She held on to him for dear life, telling herself over and over, that he was safe. Trying to enjoy that moment as long as possible before having to face the next. When they finally pulled apart, Isabel looked up at him silently, pleadingly, begging him not to tell her what she knew he was about to say.

"He's gone" Sam gasped out as his lips started to quiver "Dad's gone"

It took her a moment to realize what he'd said. She wondered if she had actually really heard it right, when Dean stepped slowly into the room.

"Isabel?" He asked.

"Dean?" She mouthed out, unsure if he was real or just a wishful fragment of her imagination.

He nodded. He too had been crying, and Isabel finally understood that it had been John who'd died. She rushed towards him at supersonic speed, and embraced him tightly, only slight letting go when she heard him take a sharp breath as she put pressure on his bruised ribs. He was hurt, but she didn't care. Here he was, alive! It was moments like these she believed in God.

"You're OK, you're OK" She repeated over and over. Letting him go to look up at him before resuming her bear hug "Thank God, you're OK!"

She tried to hide from them that the sadness she felt at the loss of her uncle's life, was far outweighed by the relief of having her cousins survive. She heard a little voice inside her mind _'Thank God it was John and not one of them'_. She immediately silenced it, surprised with herself that she could think a horrible thought like that at a moment like this.

Dean was obviously not entirely thrilled about his survival over his dad's, or even seeing his cousin. Finally noticing he was just standing there like a statue instead of returning her embrace, Isabel let go and looked up at him curiously.

"Dean?" She asked him.

He glanced between Sam and Isabel "I've got some forms to fill out" He said quietly and turned to walk away.

Isabel reached out and grasped at his hand "Dean?"

Without even turning to her, he shook off her hand and headed back the way he'd come. His steps seemed heavy and his posture rigid. She thought it looked like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Isabel turned to Sam with a heartbroken and confused expression on her face "Sam, what happened out there?"

XXXXXX

You don't have to review, but it does brighten my day. Toodles, AT


	26. Bat Out Of Hell

Sam and Dean didn't invite Isabel to John's 'funeral'. Partly because they wanted to bury their dad alone, but partly because they knew she wouldn't have gone anyway. Sam had made a fumbled attempt at inviting her whilst delicately trying to convey to her that he was only doing it out of obligation. Fortunately, Isabel understood subtlety well and was keenly perceptive. She put a hand on Sam's arm and shook her head slowly.

"I think it's something you two should do on your own" She said.

It had been three days since John had died and two days since Sam and Dean had been discharged from the hospital. Unsure as to what they were supposed to do next, they remained in Jefferson City with Missouri and Isabel. The two women had rented a motel room near the hospital to be near Sam and Dean while they recovered and made the necessary arrangements regarding John. Isabel rented them a room next to hers and Missouri's the day they were discharged.

With the Impala out of the picture, Sam and Dean borrowed Isabel's SUV and left in the afternoon to pick up John's body from the morgue and prepare for the 'burial'. Dean was still avoiding her. Not her personally, really, he was just avoiding everybody. It was Sam who'd come around to her room, knocked on her door and asked for the keys to her car. She asked how Dean was doing, and Sam just shrugged and shook his head.

"I don't know" Sam said quietly, with a backwards glance towards the room he was sharing with his brother "He's not really talking about it"

"I'm worried about him, Sam" She said, whispering so as to not be overhead "He's acting really strange"

Sam looked at her oddly "Our dad just died" he pointed out.

"I know, Sam, that's not what I meant" She said quickly "But he's pushing everyone away and trust me, that's a bad move. Try to talk to him, will you? Get him to open up"

"I'll try"

"Talk to him about going home, too" She said "we can take the Impala with us and get it fixed in Lawrence"

He promised he would, but not that day. That day was going to be hard enough on Sam without the added pressure of having to break through Dean's stony exterior. He would talk to him the next day, thinking it would probably go better then.

He was wrong.

When they woke up the next morning, Sam braved Dean with a dose of reality. They'd faced the demon and lost. Their father was dead, and buried. It was over and it was time to go home. To say Dean's reaction wasn't pretty would have been an understatement.

"Over?" Dean's expression was a mixture of incredulity and barely restrained anger "You think it's over?"

"Dean, we don't have the colt, we've lost dad, we don't know where this demons is, we have to face it…it's over" Sam pointed out bluntly.

"No, Sam, it's not over" Dean shouted at his brother vehemently "It's not over until that thing is dead! You hear me?"

"I'm angry too, Dean, I'm hurting too. But we can't go on a wild goose chase" Sam tried to reason with his irate brother "We need to recover and regroup, I say we go home and…"

"We _have_ no home, Sam!" Dean cut him off coldly.

"We can go to Lawrence"

"I'm not going there! This was Isabel's idea, wasn't it? God, why can't she mind her own damn business?" He hissed angrily through clenched teeth.

"Dean, she's offering us a place to stay until we figure out what to do"

"I don't need to figure it out, I _know_ what I'm going to do" Dean said as he started packing his belongings "I'm going after this thing, I'm going to hunt it down"

"You can't do this by yourself"

"I can and I will" Dean said determined "You're welcome to come with me; after all, this demon killed your dad too. Not to mention your mother and your girlfriend"

"Dean, we've been out of hospital for less than a week" Sam protested "We almost died"

"I know" Dean said "I'm still going"

"Please don't" Sam pleaded.

"Don't _you_ start, too" Dean said angrily "Isabel, I can understand…but _you_?You know I have to do this, Sam"

"You don't _have_ to do anything"

"How can you just let it go?"

"Let it go?" Sam asked in disbelief "Dean, I'm just tired. We're losing everyone. Mom, Aunt Jane, Uncle Thomas, Jess, now dad… I'm tired. I can't take anymore"

"I can't take anymore either. I can't take the people we've _already_ lost" Dean yelled fervently "It stops now! No more, Sam. No more!"

"This is a powerful demon, Dean" Sam insisted "'You could die"

"I really don't care"

"I do!" Sam yelled "Isabel does. We need you!"

"No, you don't" Dean spat back "Neither of you do. Isabel's going to get married and have her happily ever after with her new family. You… you're going to move on, meet someone, become a lawyer...you never wanted to do this. Me? This is all I _know_, this is all I _am_. This is all I'll _ever _be, Sam"

Dean grabbed his packed bag, his leather jacket hanging from the back of the armchair and picked up the car keys from the small key hook by the door.

"Don't leave like this" Sam pleaded, knowing that there was no way he could talk his brother out of this.

"I'm not _leaving_, Sam. I'm just continuing what we were doing before dad died. _You_ are the one leaving _me_"

"Please Dean, try to see things past all this rage" Trying not to let Dean's accusatory tone get to him.

"This _rage_ is the only thing keeping me together right now!" He said "It's the only thing driving me"

As Dean opened the motel room door, he looked at his brother one more time, expectantly. He was obviously hoping Sam would relent and go along with him. Join him in hunting this demon that had been making their lives miserable for decades. Taken half their family.

"Will you let me know if you find it? If you need me?" Sam said instead.

"I will let you know when I kill it" He said as his expression darkened "I don't want to hear from you or Isabel unless it's to tell me about a dream you had about the demon, or a vision you had, or anything that can help me find it. Otherwise, I'm not interested"

Sam watched mutely and defeated as his brother jumped into Isabel's car and sped off out of the motel parking lot. He hadn't been paying attention as Dean was packing, but noticed now that he had taken everything; their dad's diary, his notes, his phone, their weapons. Not to mention, Isabel's car.

Mere seconds later, the motel room door was opened again and Isabel stood there in her pajama shorts and tank top, with her hair sleep-tousled and her eyes struggling to remain open against the glare of the morning sun. She had obviously just jumped out of bed and rushed over to their room. She looked around disoriented.

"Was that my car?" She asked as she looked around the room "Where's Dean?"

"He's gone" said Sam.

"Gone where?" Her eyes returned to Sam and she noticed his eyes were watery.

"I don't know"

"When is he coming back?" She asked suspiciously.

Sam took a deep breath "He's not"

XXXXXXXXX

AN: I found it a little strange that in the show, Dean didn't seem all that keen in going after the demon after John died. I really thought he'd be the type to not be able to see anything beyond revenge. But hey, I don't write the show! Toodles, AT


	27. A Momentary Lapse Of Reason

As Isabel sat on the window seat of the small Boeing, watching the plains of Oklahoma sweep beneath her on the way back to Lawrence, she debated what the hell to tell Paul about his car. Occasionally she would glance angrily at Sam, sitting next to her. She was still unable to comprehend how he could have let Dean walk away, on what would no doubt turn out to be a suicide mission, _with _her fiancé's car, leaving them and Missouri stranded in Jefferson City. But she didn't say anything, and soon her initial anger was gone. Sam looked just as defeated as she did. It wasn't his fault either, she realized, if Dean had wanted to leave, there was nothing anyone, even Sam, could have done or said to stop him. He was, after all, a grown man.

Paul took the news about the theft of his car surprisingly well, and Isabel thanked her lucky stars that fate had brought this incredibly patient and tolerant man into her life. He not only put up with her and her baggage, but even her family's. Paul had taken a deep breath, embraced Sam and Isabel tightly, telling them how sorry he was about John's death. He then calmly told them the most important thing was that they were safe and that the car was only a car and could be replaced, and Dean could have it for as long as he needed it.

The next week went quickly as Sam slowly recovered and took the wrecked Impala to Guenther's garage. The man looked at the mangled remains of Dean's car then furrowed his brow at Sam. He hadn't been all that eager to repair it, but Sam assured him he would pay whatever it cost, and so Guenther had shrugged his shoulders and agreed. Isabel, meanwhile, hit the phone in order to push the wedding back a couple of months. This, she figured, would give Sam a chance to recuperate and grieve, and also hopefully give Dean some time to cool down and come to terms with his father's death. Sam wasn't so sure this would work, but he indulged his cousin anyway who was already stressing out about wedding arrangements, without even throwing Dean's absentia into the mix.

A month after not hearing even one word from Dean, despite various phone calls to his cell and many voicemails, Isabel decided to actively track him down. She came back from work one afternoon and found Sam and Missouri in her kitchen. Lately Sam had been spending quite a bit of time with the older psychic as he struggled to make sense of his supernatural gifts and how to use them. They smiled at her and Missouri stood up to pour her a cup of tea. She took it from Missouri, sat down at the table with them and faced Sam with a hesitant expression on her face.

"What is it, Bel?" Sam asked her gently.

"It's Dean" She said finally "It's been over a month since we've heard anything. I can't stop worrying"

"We need to give him some space"

"I know, but all I want is a phone call to tell me he's fine" She said "I just want to know he's not lying in a ditch somewhere. What if something's happened to him?"

"I'm sure he's fine, Bel" Sam said.

He said it offhandedly, but Isabel detected a trace of something else in this voice, in the way his eyes shifted uneasily. She narrowed her eyes at him and sat up straight in her chair.

"You've spoken to him" She stated, watching her cousin closely.

Sam looked down at his hands "No"

She scoffed, but was not amused in the slightest "You are officially the world's worst liar"

Missouri tried to intervene "Isabel, maybe…"

"You know where he is, don't you?" Isabel cut her off, still addressing Sam and pinning him to his seat with her intense glare.

Sam saw no point in continuing the charade. Isabel wasn't going to buy it anymore anyway. He looked up at her and nodded.

"I've spoken to him once" He said "Last week"

"When were you going to tell me?" She asked, extremely peeved at only finding this out now.

"I wasn't" He said plainly.

She was momentarily taken aback by his sudden honesty, before quickly regaining her irritation "Why the hell not?"

"Because he asked me not to" Sam said, and then snorted humorlessly "Actually, he ordered me not to"

Her entire posture hardened "We made a deal about keeping things like this from each other. It had to go both ways, Sam"

"I'm sorry"

"Whatever" She said, waving his apology off "Where is he?"

"Isabel, I can't…"

"Sam, where is he?" She repeated louder.

He closed his eyes and ran a hand over his head before it came to rest limply on his lap "He's in Kentucky"

"_Where_ in Kentucky?" She pressed on.

"I don't know" He answered agitated "He found one of dad's old contacts at a roadhouse in Kentucky and he said that they might be able to help him track the demon down"

"What else?"

"That's it"

"What do you mean that's it?" She asked "He's still going after this thing after what happened last time?"

"What do you want me to say, Isabel?" He asked, matching her angry tone "That's all he said, that's all I know. OK?"

She backed off "I'm getting married in a month, did he say if he was even coming for that?"

Sam didn't know how to answer that without having the answer hurt her "He didn't say"

She was suddenly speechless. How could he not come to her wedding, after he'd fervently promised her he would be there? With Sam being Paul's best man, she had no one to give her away, and whilst Missouri had said she would be honored to do it, Isabel really wanted Dean to walk her down the aisle.

"We have to find him" She said finally "We'll track him down"

"That's a bad idea, Bel" Sam said shaking his head.

"I don't care, Sam" She said "If he won't talk to me, I'll go talk to him"

"How are you going to find him?"

She smiled "Oh, don't you worry, I'll find him"

XXXXX

True to her word, she found him. Just like Sam had said, he was in Kentucky. With that little fact as her only lead, Isabel met with Stephanie Kowalzcyk, budding journalist at Kansas University. After the events of the Sandman, they had kept in touch. Stephanie had quickly recovered and returned to her studies, wasting no time in writing her exposé on Dr Frank Bianchi. The Wichita Eagle had published it and she was now doing freelance work for them. Isabel was sure she would be the next Diane Sawyer.

Stephanie had agreed to help her, and had seemed pretty confident that she could find Isabel's cousin without much problem. She had the SUV registration plate, his cell number, the credit card Isabel had given him for his birthday, and a list Isabel had given her of some of the aliases Dean used during his hunts.

"One of my contacts is FBI" She said "If anyone can find Dean, it'll be him"

"Is that safe? I just want to find him. I don't want him to get in trouble, Steph" Isabel said quickly "I'm pretty sure Dean has a record"

"Don't worry, you leave it up to me" Stephanie said "I promise your cousin won't get in trouble"

Sam was not as excited as she was at the prospect of finding Dean. He tried to caution her about going to look for him, pointing out to Isabel that he knew Dean well, and if he didn't want them to find him, it was probably in their best interest not to. He tried to explain to her that Dean needed time and he would come back when he was ready. Showing up unexpectedly could end up blowing up in her face, and most likely would. She turned on him quickly.

"You're preaching to the choir, Sam" She said angrily "My parents died and you never came for me. Do you know how much I hated you for giving up on me? The last thing he needs is someone else to blame"

The conversation had ended with that and a final plea from Sam to leave Dean alone and a warning that it was not a good time to push him.

A week later, when Paul was at the tailor's with Sam getting fitted for their tuxedos, Isabel packed a bag, called a cab and left for the airport with a return ticket in her hand bound for Kentucky. She knew Sam would talk her out of it and try to stop her, so she'd kept her mouth shut about her trip.

As Paul and Sam got back home that night, the first thing they noticed was the house was empty. Paul headed for the kitchen.

"I thought she finished work early today" Sam said as he turned the lights on in the living room.

"Sam?" Paul called him.

Sam walked into the kitchen, finding Paul standing by the table with a piece of paper in his hand. The older man's expression was grim and Sam got an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"What's wrong?"

"I think this is for you" Paul said, handing him the note.

Sam picked it up and read it. It was Isabel's handwriting, plainly and without much elaboration informing him that she'd found Dean and was on her way to talk to him as he was reading this note.

He let out a frustrated groan and crumpled the note in his hand.

"Dammit!" He hissed out, throwing the note across the room. He turned wearily to Paul "This is bad"

XXXXX

AN: Thank you for reading. In the next chapter Isabel finds Dean, and as Sam feared and you've probably guessed, it's not going to go well. I'm almost done with this story. A few more chapters to go and it's over. I won't tell you how I'll end it, it has to be a surprise. I hope it will be. Toodles, AT.


	28. Boys Don't Cry

AN: Wow, this was a tough one to write! I didn't know I could be so mean! Very nasty argument up ahead, just thought you should be warned.

XXXXX

Bowling Green, Kentucky

She hadn't wanted to waste any time after landing in Louisville, Kentucky. Isabel briefly toyed with the idea of spending the night in town then leaving first thing in the morning, but was afraid that she might miss Dean if she didn't get to him as soon as possible. There was also always the possibility that Sam would have called ahead to tell him she was on her way. No, she couldn't waste time.

She'd rented the only car available at the car rental stand and drove herself straight to Bowling Green. Stephanie had given Isabel the name of the motel Dean had been staying at for the last couple of days, and by the time she found it, it was close to one in the morning. She spotted Paul's SUV in the motel parking space outside room 9, and before her courage completely abandoned her, she walked to the door and knocked. She got no answer and she knocked again. Peeking in through the window made her realize he wasn't in there, and rather than wait outside his door not knowing at what time he would come back, she made her way over to the reception desk and asked for a room. The building itself was in the shape of a horseshoe and she asked for a room that would give her a direct view out to Dean's own on the opposite side of the parking lot.

She walked into her dingy motel room and sat on the edge of the bed, unable to tear her eyes away from the window, specifically, the door to room 9. Her heart was beating so hard she could almost hear it. It had been over one month since she'd seen her older cousin, and tonight she would see him again. She wondered what she was going to say. She hadn't a plan in mind, and was going to play it by ear.

It was about an hour later that a noise alerted her to someone nearby and she looked up from the book she was reading to glance out the window. There was definitely someone outside Dean's room and as she squinted to better focus on the silhouette, with a jolt she recognized her cousin. She took off her reading glasses and stood up to walk up to the door, when suddenly she was stopped as she heard someone else with Dean. It was a woman, she was laughing. She pulled the curtains aside for a better look and rolled her eyes as she took in the couple. It was obvious now that both her cousin and the woman he'd dragged back to his room were drunk. Not only because it was taking Dean a more than a reasonable amount of time to open the door, but there was also the bottle of what she thought might be bourbon inconspicuously hanging from his hand.

Finally, he managed to open the door, the light came on, Dean grabbed the woman's hand, pulled her into the room and a second later the door slammed shut.

Isabel stood there motionless, unsure as to how to proceed next. She obviously couldn't go knock on his door now. She would have to wait until the woman left. She hoped that her cousin hadn't changed much, and would be kicking his bedfellow out of his room as soon as dawn broke. With a final glance out the window, she turned back into her room and prepared for bed, falling into a restless sleep.

Nervous as she was, she slept lightly and was roused later in the morning by the sound of heels clicking on pavement. She got out of bed and stumbled to the window. In the sunlight, she could clearly see the young woman from the night before walking away slowly from Dean's room. She hesitated and looked back towards the room, but he'd already shut the door on her. _Nice, Dean_, Isabel thought sarcastically, _at least call her a cab!_ The girl pouted, wrapped her jacket tighter around her and walked off, this time at a faster pace.

Isabel looked at her watch. It was almost ten. She quickly changed, brushed her teeth, and without giving herself time to think anything through, strode out of her room, crossed the parking lot and knocked on the door to room 9. She heard shuffling on the other side of the door, and soon after the lock turned and the door started to open. She heard his voice before she saw him.

"You forget something?" He asked, and then stopped as he recognized his cousin on the other side. His eyes widened in surprise for a second before his expression hardened "What do you want?"

She watched him for a few seconds, torn between wanting to jump up to hug him and wanting to slap him hard on his face. She settled for walking into the room, uninvited. The curtains were all shut and it took a moment for her eyes to readjust to the darkness. She turned back to him. He was still standing there, by the door, in his sweats. He held the door open with his hand, in a clear silent gesture that he wanted her to leave as soon as she said what she'd come there to say, and she better say it quickly. But she could be as stubborn as he, and she wasn't going anywhere.

"Is it really cold in here, or is it just you?" She asked him bitingly, not the best attempt at humor.

"I'm not in a good mood, Isabel" He said impatiently "You here for your car?"

"Keep the car. I'm here to see _you_" She said looking around the room and trying to ignore the fact that it smelled like sex, booze and cheap perfume "I haven't heard from you in over a month, Dean. Do you have any idea how worried I've been?"

"I'm fine" He said tiredly.

"The Impala's fixed. It looks great" She said and continued optimistically "My wedding is in just over three weeks, maybe you could come pick it up when you're down…"

"How did you find me?" He asked, indifferent to her invitation. He finally closed the door, though he didn't move away from it.

"With difficulty" She said.

"Did Sam send you?"

"No. He actually warned me to stay away from you"

"He's smart" Dean said "You should listen to him"

"Ditto"

He let out a big breath and tilted his head towards the door. He was done with chit chat "Isabel, I'm not fit for company. Get out"

"Really?" She asked with a raised eyebrow "I think the girl who just left would beg to differ"

"You saw her" He stated, for a moment his cool expression faltered. Only for a moment.

"I waited in my room until she left"

"That's so polite of you" He said, recapturing his detached icy tone "Anyway, she was hardly what I would call _company_"

"It's none of my business, Dean" She said dismissively. She hadn't come here to discuss his sex life.

"You're right, it's not" He said crossing his arms over his chest "So why don't you run along back home to Paul, and tell Sam I'm fine"

"You want me to lie to him?"

"Well, you are really good at it" He replied sarcastically.

"I didn't come here to fight, Dean" She kept her tone neutral.

He looked at her and shook his head with a chuckle.

"Pity. That's another thing you're really good at. Maxing out your quota with Paul, are you?"

She straightened up and kept her voice even, ignoring his constant jabs "You're not going to get to me"

He smiled darkly at her "We'll see"

He walked over to the kitchenette and grabbed the half empty bottle of bourbon from the bench. She noticed a couple of empty ones nearby. He uncapped it and took a swig straight from the bottle.

"Do you really think drinking will help you deal with what's happened?"

"Maybe not, but it will help me deal with you"

"There's better ways to get through this, Dean"

"I think I'd rather not take psychology tips from someone who's spent half their life in therapy" He said taking another swig from the bottle as he turned around to face her again "In fact, I remember when you had your little meltdown in Missouri, you very clearly told me to let you deal with it in your own way. Am I misquoting you?"

"My way didn't include sleeping around and getting drunk in the middle of the day"

"Well, unlike you, I can't afford to go to therapy and get pumped full of happy pills" He said in the same disdainful tone "So…I'm going to deal with this the old fashioned way"

"I came all the way from Kansas to see you, Dean. Can you put the bottle down for a minute and talk to me?"

"There's only one thing I'd stop drinking for right now, but since what's her name just left and I'm pretty sure _you_ wouldn't be up for it, I'm going to continue, if you don't mind"

"I do mind" Ignoring his innuendo.

"Well then, you know what the other option is, sweetheart. I'm pretty drunk so I reckon I can swing it" He said with a suggestive wink as he leaned back against the kitchen bench.

"Stop it, Dean" She said, starting to feel uncomfortable.

Playful banter was one thing, but she knew Dean was baiting her, and he was doing it maliciously. He wanted her to get angry, because he knew that if she did, if he got her to snap, she would run away.

"Not enough therapy in the world for _that_, is there, kitten?"

"I know you're hurting, Dean, and I know what you're trying to do" She said trying with all her might to not let his cruelty get to her. She had to find a way to get to _him_ "But I won't let you push me away"

"Isabel, we've had fights before, but trust me, this one won't end with a hug" His playful expression was gone, replaced once again by a hostile glare. He'd changed tactics on her.

"I told you, I didn't come here to fight"

"I'm angry and drunk. Where do you see this going? I'm serious, you better leave"

For a second she thought she detected a light note of pleading in his voice, but the message in his words was anything but subtle.

"Are you threatening me?"

"I'm warning you. Nicely" He said, his voice was hard again "Sam isn't here this time"

"I'm not afraid of you, Dean" She said with a casual shrug to hide the shiver down her spine "I've seen you angry before"

"Not like this you haven't" He said with not a trace of amusement.

"Do you really think you can make me turn around and walk away?" She carefully started to turn the conversation around, unsure as to how far she should push "That's not my style, Dean. That's _classic Winchester_"

"Careful, Isabel" He said, pushing himself off the bench.

"You know, I never thought much of your dad, but I always thought he did a pretty good job raising you, considering what happened" Isabel kept her tone casual, conversational "Looking at you right now, though… I guess I gave him too much credit"

"Don't say another word"

"Have you ever wondered what would have happened if the demon had taken Sam twenty four years ago instead of your mom?" She pressed on, not letting on that her heart was pounding and her skin was breaking out in a cold sweat as he slowly started to make his way towards her "Ever wonder how your life would have turned out?"

"Isabel" He warned her again as he reached her, standing only a couple of feet away.

"Oh my God" She whispered softly "You have"

"If you don't leave this room right now, I swear to God, I will throw you out" He said leaning in to her and lowering his voice to a low growl.

There was no way she was going to shrink back from his blatant intimidation "Dean, nothing that's happened is your fault!"

"You have no idea how I'm feeling right now. If you did, you wouldn't be here!" He snarled at her "Now, I'm not kidding, get the hell out of my room!"

"You're going to take the blame for everything? You love all this angst, don't you? Playing the tortured hero? It frees up your conscience to do whatever the hell you want without having to take any responsibility!"

"That's what you really came all the way here for? To give me a lecture? I'm not in the mood for one of your self righteous sermons"

"Your dad's gone, Dean, just like your mom, and it _wasn't_ your fault!" She continued, knowing she was getting somewhere "When are you going to stop blaming yourself?"

"Listen to yourself, will you? Are you here because you actually give a shit, Isabel? Or is it because _you_ feel guilty and want to make it right?"

She frowned, confused "What are you talking about?"

"Look right at me and tell me how you felt when you found out our dad died. And don't you dare lie to me"

"Dean, I'm not…"

"YOU WERE HAPPY!" He roared at her "You were happy, admit it!"

"Yes, I was happy, Dean!" She countered back though her voice not as loud as his "I was happy it wasn't _you_, I was happy it wasn't _Sam_! I'm not sorry about feeling that way either"

"You're not sorry _at all_ that he's gone"

"Because you're grieving, I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that" She said, hurt from his scathing remark. How could he think that she didn't care about John's death? She may not have loved her uncle, but he was still her family "And this _isn't _about me!"

"Why not? Why is it never about you?"

"Don't try to change the subject"

"I'm not changing the subject. I like this subject! Guilt, blame, it's all good" he said mockingly before his whole face twisted into a scowl. When he spoke next, Isabel wondered whether this was really her cousin "You wanna play, Isabel? OK, let's play then. It's my turn now. Where were you the night your parents died?"

Her face paled and she felt her heart constrict. As if a cold icy fist had wrapped around it and squeezed slowly and painfully.

"What?" She stammered out.

"The night your parents died. Nine years ago" He continued spitefully "It was a Friday night, wasn't it? Last one of the month?"

"Don't"

"Dinner and movie night in Chicago for the Bennett Family, except…" He stopped for a second, pretending to think "except...you were still grounded from the time you snuck out to spend the night with me and Sam in Idaho, am I right?"

"Stop" It was no more than a breath, a whisper.

"I'm just getting started. So... you stayed at home that night, didn't you? You called your boyfriend to come over. Mommy and daddy didn't know he was there with you that night, did they?"

"How do you know?" She asked as her lip quivered.

"It's all in the police report, I checked it out" He said "Let me ask you something, kitten…do you ever wonder what would have happened if you hadn't snuck out that night, if you'd never been grounded and had to stay home that night, if you had been in that car with them? Maybe they'd still be alive"

"That's not….you can't…" She swallowed against the lump in her throat.

"I'm just saying…maybe it's….what did you call it?" He said, cruelly mocking her "Oh yes…Chaos theory, right?"

"You bastard" She spat out hatefully, proud that she wasn't letting her tears fall.

"What part did _you_ play in all of it? Maybe you were supposed to die with them that night. Do you ever think that?" He asked, mimicking her from earlier "Oh my God, you do!"

He was right. She did think that. More frequently in the months straight after her parents died, but even now, after nine years, she occasionally wondered what would have happened if she'd been in the car with them like she was supposed to. Would it have made a difference? Either they'd still be alive, or she would have died with them. Had fate been changed by her survival, or was she supposed to survive all along? Her therapist called those thoughts _survivor's guilt_, but that was just a very simple term for something infinitely deeper, something that kept her awake countless nights. No amount of pills or therapy sessions had ever been able to erase those chilling thoughts from her mind.

She wasn't sure if he'd used that to bait her or if he'd just thought of it then and not considered how accurate those words were and how much they would affect her. But she didn't give his motivation much thought. She acted on reflex, like when a wild animal is poked, or wounded…she attacked back. In a flash, she raised her hand and the palm of her right hand made contact with his face, creating a loud smack that seemed to echo in the small room. She had never hit anyone before in her entire life. She took a small step back, shocked with herself at her unrestrained violent impulse, and more than a little afraid of his reaction. She glanced briefly towards the door, which now seemed so very far away.

He was momentarily shocked too. He had not been expecting that. As soon as he felt the sting on his cheek, the shock was gone and the anger returned; red hot and blinding. He clenched his jaw and glowered fiercely at her. He took long measured breaths through his nostrils as he struggled for self control. His fist tightened around the neck of the bottle and he too, took a step back.

"Woman or not, family or not" He said through clenched teeth "You hit me again, I hit you back"

"Is that how you win all your arguments, Dean?" She asked, angry at him for not seeing she was hurting too, and angry at herself for attacking him in the first place "You're a big man, aren't you?"

"Please, don't push me"

His tone this time was unmistakable and she thought that he must have really meant that. He wasn't warning her or threatening her, he was begging her. She knew when to cut her losses, and sadly admitted that this whole venture had been one huge disaster just like Sam had predicted. It had not gone the way Isabel hoped, or even imagined. But at least it would end the way Dean wanted.

"Fine, Dean. You win" She said with a sad nod of her head.

She raised her hand again, but this time rested it gently on his cheek for a moment as she looked up into his eyes. She pulled her hand away and stepped around him, heading for the door. She turned around before she walked out.

"You want me to walk away? You got it. Watch me"

She shut the door behind her gently and Dean stared at it mutely. Seconds later she stepped out of her own room with a bag over her shoulder and jumped into her car. She was leaving and part of him wanted so much to rush out and call her back. Tell her he was sorry. A part of him wanted to call her back so they could continue to fight. It had actually felt good have it out with her. It was the most human he'd felt in weeks, it was the most he'd _felt_ in weeks. She drove out of the motel without a second glance back.

A greater part of him, though, was glad that she was gone. Now they would just leave him alone, let him continue to hunt, kill and slowly self destruct.

He looked around the room and for the first time since leaving Jefferson City, he felt like scum. He hadn't thought much of what he'd done with his life over the past month or so. He hadn't thought about how stupid, reckless, and pathetic his existence had become, until someone else had walked into it; until Isabel had walked into it and took a long hard look. She would tell Sam what she saw, the things he said to her, the way he acted. Suddenly he felt a new wave of emotions to compliment his anger and pain perfectly; remorse, shame, loneliness.

He looked down at the bottle in his hand, and with an anguished scream, threw it against the door his cousin had walked out of moments earlier. He watched the glass shatter, and knowing he was alone, he finally let himself cry.

XXXXXXX

Will they make up or not? Please review, since you've come all this way. Seriuosly though, I posted it soon after the last chapter but it actually took me a good couple of weeks to write. Let me know what you thought of it. Toodles, AT.


	29. Nobody's Fault But Mine

Lawrence, Kansas

Sam waited for her alone. With Isabel MIA, Paul had gone to meet with the caterers and the florist on his own. He had taken Isabel's sudden departure rather well the night before, but as he woke up the next day and realized he would have to take care of all the wedding preparations they'd scheduled for that weekend by himself, his patience started to wear out. Sam, decided to keep quiet, washing his hands off the whole thing completely. He wasn't particularly happy with his cousin at the moment either, but would have to be content in the knowledge that as soon as she got back from her 'Dean hunt', she would have some major groveling to do.

He really couldn't predict how it would turn out between Dean and Isabel. He was sure it would involve a fight, but without him there…where would it actually end? Would she manage to get through to Dean, talk to him and get him to come around? Isabel did sometimes have the ability to cut through the crap and hit the nail right on the head. Sure, she could be brutal and surprisingly vicious in an argument, but she could also incredibly compassionate and uncannily accurate about what was really underlying someone's motives. Would it work this time with Dean, or would it be quite the opposite? Would they just go at each other like a pair of rabid dogs? Sam had a nagging feeling it was the latter. Dean would not have been in the mood for her this time.

To be honest, even Sam wasn't always in the mood for her these days and he would understand Dean's reaction to her intrusion and unwelcome meddling. Unlike Isabel, Sam had known his brother for over twenty years, and he knew him well. If Dean said he needed his space, he needed his space. But Isabel failed to realize that. She was too caught up in how all this affected her to notice that sometimes the best way to fix something is giving it time.

All the same, he waited for her, standing up from his prime position on the armchair by the window when the cab dropped her off. She walked up the steps to the door slowly, so slowly in fact that it as almost like the soles of her shoes were sticking to the concrete. He watched her closely as she glanced at the newly-fixed Impala in the driveway then back up to the house with a heavy sigh. As she came closer, and the afternoon sun struck her directly, he got a better look at her face and he could see dark circles under her eyes and that she'd been crying.

He opened the door before she got a chance to knock. She looked straight up at him but didn't say anything. She just watched him, with a tired look on her face, as if waiting for him to say 'I told you so'

"Did you find him?" He asked instead, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah" She said flatly, walking into the house and letting her bag fall from her shoulder as she moved into the living room "I found him"

"And?"

"And you were right…it was a bad idea" She sat on the couch, and let her head fall back as she closed her eyes "Bad, bad idea"

"It didn't go well, I take it?" He asked, trying for a little humor as he shut the door and leaned against the door frame between the hallway and the living room.

She snorted at his understatement "I don't think he was all that thrilled to see me, no"

"You're in one piece, at least"

She opened her eyes and looked sideways at him, a small 'humph' the only response to his statement. She couldn't tell if he'd been joking or not.

"It should have been _you_" She said finally.

"What?" He had no idea what that meant.

"You should have gone to him, not me!" She said turning to him as his expression changed from confused to affronted "You would have been able to bring him around and get through to him, instead of letting yourself get pulled into a fight"

"Don't be so sure" Sam said noticing now that her bitterness wasn't directed at him but at herself "He knows where my buttons are too"

"But you would have been able to keep your cool. You, with your infinite freakin' patience and self control. You would have handled it differently. _Me_? I just went off at him…I lost it" She said, then chuckled shaking her head "Just like he _knew_ I would"

"How bad was it?"

She stood up abruptly and began pacing in front of him as she got started on her rant. It was like she hadn't even heard him.

"He pushed me and pushed me until he got what he wanted and I snapped. You wouldn't believe the things he said to me. No one has ever been that cruel to me, and I've had my share of first class bastard ex-boyfriends"

"You knew what was going to happen, Bel" He said. He wasn't willing to stay and listen to this, pretending none of what happened was her fault. She wasn't the victim here "I'm sure you played your part. Don't tell me you didn't push him"

She turned to him sharply.

"You're right, I did" She conceded as her tone softened. She watched him for a moment as if trying to work out something in head. When she finally had, she narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him and tilted her head "You didn't call him"

"What do you mean?"

"You knew I was going to go look for him, no matter what I told you. You knew I was going to go to him anyway, didn't you?"

Of course he knew. The very moment she'd promised him she'd leave Dean alone, Sam had known nothing would stop her from going to him the minute she found out where he was.

"Yeah, I knew"

"Why did you let me go on my own instead of coming with me?"

"Because I know my brother, Bel" He said "He needs his space right now"

"You didn't even call him to tell him I was coming" She said "Why is that?"

"I told you I wasn't ever going to get between the two of you again. You went there knowing it would end in a fight" He said defensively. No way was she going to point the finger of blame at him. She needed to take some responsibility for her actions "I stayed out of it. Don't even _try _to blame me for whatever happened over there"

"If you'd been there it might have turned out differently!"

"Don't get angry with me just because it didn't work out the way you wanted it to" He yelled back at her "I _warned _you not to go"

"You're making it sound like this is _my_ fault!"

"You're trying to make me pick a side, Isabel" He screamed back "I'm not going to do that. He's my brother!"

"I'm not trying to…" She took a deep breath and calmed down; her voice now steady and softer as she collected herself "I don't want you to pick a side, Sam. I'm not angry with you. I'm not even angry with Dean"

"But you _are_ angry?"

"Yes, I'm angry this is happening" She said tearing up again "I'm angry at me. I'm so damn selfish, Sam, that even though you've just lost your dad, all I can think of is that I'm getting married in three weeks and my parents won't be there, my uncle and auntie won't there and now, my cousin won't be there"

"I'll be there"

She closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around him, sniffing back her tears as he held her to him.

"I know" She said "I just miss him, Sam"

"I miss him too"

"I just wanted to help him" She said "I really thought I could"

He really felt bad for her. She had only wanted to help Dean. Just like he and Dean had helped her so many times. They hadn't given up on her after her attack, they hadn't dumped her in mental hospital like her doctors had initially suggested, and they hadn't even walked away when she'd told them they could, when she knew she was becoming an inconvenience to them. They had stuck by her. Dean, especially, had been adamant about staying by her side while she healed and helping her through her own grief. Now, she wanted to do the same for him, but he wouldn't let her and she felt helpless.

"Did he say anything about the demon?" Sam asked as they finally pulled away. She looked up at him blankly.

"I…I didn't even ask" She said, only now realizing she'd been so hung up on the fact that Dean had left that she'd totally overlooked her cousin's entire reason for leaving in the first place "I was just trying to get him to come back"

Sam knew eventually Dean would come back. Whether he admitted it or not. Sam was the only family he had left. Well, Sam and Isabel. Dean would never turn his back on that. It was just a matter of time. The problem here though, was just what Dean was going to do in that time. While he dealt with their father's death. Would he really go looking for that demon? Was he any closer to locating it? Had he found another way to kill it? It suddenly dawned on him that he should be with Dean, hunting this thing also. Dean had been right about something; it wouldn't be over until that demon was dead. After the wedding, he would go back to his brother and finish what they'd started. Once and for all.

XXXXX

AN: Thank you for all your reviews. Please keep reading, not long to go now. The next chapter will be the wedding. Toodles, AT.


	30. Take The Long Way Home

Lawrence, Kansas

It took Dean almost a week to convince himself to drive down to Lawrence. But he couldn't put it off any longer. Ellen and Ash at the roadhouse had been very helpful in his attempt at tracking the demon and researching ways kill it, and even though he hadn't been able to find that son of a bitch, he now had a plan. But he needed his brother for it. He couldn't do it himself. He knew that in order to get Sam on his bandwagon, he would have to show his face in Lawrence and make peace with both his brother and his cousin. And what better time to do that than Isabel's wedding?

He knew he was taking a chance. Isabel could either, take one look at him, slap him again and then tell him to go away, quite possibly using far more colorful language than that. Or, she might just be so excited to see him and so high on the fact it was her wedding that she would just forgive him on the spot. To be honest, he was kind of hoping for something in the middle.

It was all about timing, he realized. Isabel had caught him at a very bad time that day she showed up in Kentucky, out of the blue. While he _had_ been heading down a questionable path, it wasn't like he drank and slept around the entire two or so months since John had died. He had also been trying to find the demon and ways to kill it without the colt, not to mention going on a few hunts here and there, though the latter was mostly to help pass the time. He was man enough to recognize that if Isabel hadn't showed up when she did though, and if he hadn't formed this new plan, his drinking binges would have started lasting longer and longer until his entire life eventually became one long drawn out alcohol-induced blur. It was all about timing.

He arrived in Lawrence the night before the wedding. He knew everyone would be out at the rehearsal dinner, so he didn't bother showing up at Isabel's house, or even Missouri's. Not in the state he was in, anyway. He checked into a motel instead, taking a good part of the evening to shave, shower and wash his hair. He looked over the notes Ash had given him, his own research, and the materials he'd need for the following day. He placed everything in a small backpack and went to bed early, hoping a good night sleep would help clear the bags under his eyes and take away the ten years he seemed to have aged in the last two months.

The man that greeted him in the bathroom mirror the next morning looked a lot more like Dean Winchester than the scruffy, disheveled man that had checked into the motel the night before. He changed quickly, grabbed his backpack and jumped into the SUV he'd 'borrowed' from Paul. He was both excited and nervous at the prospect of being reunited once again with his brother, his cousin, and of course, his beloved car.

He arrived at Paul and Isabel's house and his heart leapt in his chest when he spotted his Impala on the driveway. He jumped out of the car and walked straight to it, tenderly running his palm along the side panel all the way to the hood. She looked perfect and he smiled to himself. He was startled as the front door opened and a man called out to him.

"Dean?"

It was Paul, in his pajamas still, and he was coming fast towards him. His expression was unreadable and Dean stood still. If Isabel, mad as she had been, came back from Kentucky and told her fiance what had happened over there, Dean was expecting the man to take a swing and knock him out. But he didn't. He stood in front of Dean for a moment then without warning he threw an arm around him and started moving them to the door.

"Hi Paul" Dean said finally "For a second there, I thought you were going to clock me"

"Well, I did promise Isabel I would next time I saw you again" Said Paul as a smile broke over his face "But hell, I'm just glad you're OK"

"Brought your car back"

"Oh, I don't know" Paul said looking towards the Impala "I'm kinda attached to her now. I thought I'd keep her"

"Not gonna happen, Paul"

Paul laughed and Dean joined in. He was a little confused about his reception so far. Why was Paul being so nice? But, he felt encouraged that there was at least one person, who wouldn't make this difficult for him. His high hopes didn't last too long though. As they reached the front door and walked into the house, Sam came out from his room and stood in shock.

"He's back" Paul said, shutting the door and giving Sam a light tap on his shoulder as he walked past towards the kitchen "I'll let you guys talk"

Sam and Dean stared at each other before Sam ultimately took a step forwards and embraced his brother. That was the second unexpectedly warm welcome he'd received that day, and Dean felt suddenly overwhelmed.

"I'm so sorry, Sammy" He said, resisting the compulsion to get too emotional "I'm sorry about everything…I just...I needed some time"

Sam pulled away and looked at his brother with a smile. He wasn't crying but Dean could tell, it wouldn't take all that much to make him.

"It's alright, man" Sam said nodding "I understand"

"You're not angry?"

"Dean, I'm just happy you're back" Sam choked out, then quickly recovered, clearing this throat "You're coming to the wedding, right?"

"Yep" He said "If I'm still invited"

"Are you kidding?" Sam asked with a laugh "She's gonna flip!"

"I don't know about that" Dean said sadly, anticipating Isabel's welcome would be a sharp contrast to Paul's and Sam's "She here?"

"Nah, she spent the night at Missouri's. She's getting ready there. Chick Central" Sam said the gestured around the house "This is the groom's station"

Dean glanced in the direction of the kitchen and realized there were other people in the house. He looked back at Sam and lowered his voice.

"I need to talk to you" He said "in private"

Sam nodded and gestured towards his room "OK, but we can't waste too much time. We have to keep to the timetable"

"Timetable?" Dean asked confused as they stepped into the room and he shut the door behind them.

"Yes, timetable" Sam said grabbing a piece of A4 paper from his bedside table and passing it to Dean "Isabel wrote us all a timetable for the day, and threatened us under penalty of a very painful death to stick to it"

Dean skimmed over it and laughed. She had even set aside a time slot for Paul to panic. It was to take place an hour before the ceremony and, Sam was, similarly, given at total of fifteen minutes to snap him out of it.

"I'll try and make it quick" Dean said, pointing to the ten AM slot "I mean, you don't really need half an hour to do your hair, do you?"

Sam looked at him with smirk "_I_ don't" He said looking pointedly at Dean's hair "you might"

They shared another chuckle before Dean sobered up and faced his brother.

"Sam, I'm guessing you've heard Isabel's version of what I've been up to these last couple of months, and most of it is pretty accurate" He started "but, in between all that drinking and…"

"What?" Sam cut in, puzzled.

Dean stopped mid sentence and pondered for a minute, deciding that perhaps it would be in his best interest to find out just what Isabel had told Sam.

"What did Isabel tell you about her…visit?"

Sam shrugged his shoulders "Not much, really. She just said you two had a huge fight and that you said some pretty horrible things to each other"

"That's it?" Dean asked in surprise "That's all she said?"

"What do you mean, is that _all_ she said?" Sam looked at his brother suspiciously "Why? What happened?"

"Exactly what she said…I guess" Dean responded "I just thought she'd come back to you angry and crying, telling you all kinds of crap about me, what I'd been doing and what a bastard I was to her"

"Well, she _did_ come back angry and crying" Sam said "But she never told me what actually happened between you two"

"Oh" He said simply.

"Dean?" Sam pressed on.

"It doesn't matter" Dean said. Well, it did, but that was a bridge he had to cross with Isabel "Sam, I've been looking into this demon thing"

"You found it?"

"No, I couldn't track it down, but…I found a way to get him to come to us"

"Come to us? Are you insane?"

"Think about it Sam, with all of us here today, it's the perfect opportunity" Dean continued, excited. "If he knows you're here, he will come"

"You want to use me as _bait_? You want to use our cousin's _wedding_ for your showdown?" Sam asked unbelieving "Dean, she will kill you!"

"She doesn't have to know, and I'm not using _you_ as bait" Dean countered "I'm using _us_ as bait"

Sam stared at his brother in disbelief for a moment before exhaling loudly "How are you planning on killing it without the colt?"

"Well, that's going to be the tricky part"

"Define tricky, Dean"

"The demon will take someone's body, right? What we need to do is trap him to that body, long enough to exorcise it and send it back to hell"

"An exorcism? That's not going to kill it"

"No" Dean admitted "But it's the best I could find, and it'll buy us some time until we find a more permanent way"

"Alright" Sam said slowly as he took all this in and sat on the bed "How do we trap him to the host body?"

Dean smiled, knowing Sam was going for it. He reached into his back pack and pulled out the contents, spilling them on the bed next to Sam. He reached for some loose sheets of paper.

"I've been doing some research, Sam"

"With the people at that roadhouse?" Sam asked, referring to their dad's old contacts.

"Yeah. This, Sam, is a little concoction that's going to trap the demon to the body" Dean said pulling out a small vial from the pocket of his jacket and loading it onto the dart gun that lay on the bed. He grabbed the gun and held it in his hand "Once the demon's taken his human form, you shoot the host. The heart, preferably. It's the quickest way to do it"

"And what's _in_ this concoction?" Sam asked curiously as he picked up the gun.

"Some common ingredients. Nothing too weird" Dean said matter-of-factly as he pointed to a note which held the ingredients to the drug.

Sam read through it in alarm. He recognized some of the ingredients in the list "Potassium cyanide? Hemlock?" He looked up at his brother "This is basically poison!"

"The doses are small, Sam. Not high enough to kill quickly, but enough to weaken the body and trap him in it, plus, I've got the antidote right here" Dean continued, pulling out another small syringe and a large length of thin wire "What you have to do is shoot, circle the body with salt, bind the limbs with silver wire, quickly perform the exorcism, then inject the antidote"

Sam looked at his brother doubtfully "It's _that _simple?"

"Yeah" Dean said after a small moment of hesitation "It's just an exorcism, right?"

Sam noticed and narrowed his eyes suspiciously "Who's going to be the host body?"

"Who do you think? _Me_!"

"No way, Dean!" Sam said as he jumped up from the bed "I'm not going to shoot you with poison! What if you die?"

"Sam, I've worked it out, trust me on this. The antidote works, I've tested it" Dean assured him "There is a shot of adrenaline in my bag as well. It will work"

"It's too risky, Dean" Sam said shaking his head.

"We have to do it, Sam" Dean said, pleading to his brother "Please. Trust me, Sam. It's going to work"

Sam finally seemed to relent "How do you even know the demon will go for you?"

Dean had to concede "I don't. But I'm playing the odds. That sadistic bastard will go for me, I know it"

"I don't like this plan, Dean"

"It's the best we've got" Dean said finally "We can't wait any longer. These last two months have been quiet for you, peaceful, I realize that. You've missed this, haven't you? Sam, you can move to Lawrence and pretend everything's normal, you can pretend all you want, but this thing's out there and it's going to come for us eventually, and I'm not just going to wait for that day to come"

"Dean"

"Please do this with me, Sam"

Sam swallowed and looked down at his feet before lifting his eyes to his brother again "I'm with you"

The moment was interrupted by Paul knocking on the door and poking his head in. He looked at Sam and his expression was a little anxious.

"I really didn't want to interrupt, but we are in danger or running behind schedule" He said pointing at his watch dramatically.

"You need to relax, Paul" Sam said.

"She gave me half an hour before lunch for that" Paul said.

"Hey, Dean, you should go over to Missouri's and see Isabel" Sam suggested.

"I'm not sure if that's a good idea" Dean said unsurely.

"Trust me, it'll make her day"

"Well, I'd like to think that marrying _me_ would make her day" Paul piped in "But I'm sure seeing you will be the proverbial cherry on top"

"Besides, if you make _her_ late, she won't get mad at us" Sam added.

XXXXXXXXXXX

AN: Thank you so much for your reviews. You guys are awesome! I'm starting to get a little sad that the story is coming to a close. There have been little tiny hints throughout about the end. But that's all I'm going to say. I don't want to spoil the surprise. Toodles, AT.


	31. White Wedding

After a promise to Sam that they would discuss the rest of the plan later and catch the demon that very night after the wedding, Dean said goodbye to the guys and jumped into his Impala. He sat for a bout five minutes behind the wheel with a smile of pure bliss on his face. Eventually, he started the ignition, shivered in pleasure as the engine roared to life, and drove off towards Missouri's house.

He parked in the driveway and slowly walked up to the front door. As it usually occurred with Missouri, the door opened for him before he reached for the doorbell. He smiled at the psychic who stood there and regarded him with a penetrating glare.

"About time you showed up, boy" She said moving aside to let him in.

"Hi Missouri" He said stepping in and looking down at her. He nodded at her appreaciatively. With her make up and hair done, she looked surprisingly nice "You… look great"

"You sound surprised" She said raising an eyebrow in challenge.

"I didn't…you…it's a compliment!" He stammered defensively. Why was it women never knew how to take a compliment? "You really _do_ look great"

"Don't bother boy, it isn't _me_ you should be buttering up" She said motioning him to follow her into the living room.

He stood in the middle of the room uncomfortably as three pairs of eyes converged on him. He recognized Pamela, Paul's sister, as she gave him a smile which he returned. Jenny stood from her seat to give him an air kiss, wriggling her fingers at him in a gesture indicating that she couldn't touch or be touched lest she smear her nail polish. Sarry sat next to her and looked up at him amidst a sea of white tulle. She tried to get up from her seat but found Pamela hindering her progress as the woman continued to braid her hair. She settled for giving him a smile and a little wave.

"Hey sweetheart" He said with a smile "You look like a princess"

"Isabel says I look like a marshmallow" Sarry said.

He chuckled at her, and nodded "Maybe a little, but a very cute one"

Tulle, nail polish, curlers, shoes everywhere, and a lot of pink. A _lot _of pink. Yes, Sam had been right, this was _Chick Central_ alright.

He fidgeted uncomfortably in his spot, not at all enjoying the awkward moment. Sure, they hadn't said anything about his disappearance or his unannounced return. But he knew women, and they were thinking it!

"She's in her old room, if you want to go talk to her" Missouri said, after having decided he'd finally had enough of their scrutiny.

He nodded in relief and without another word, bounded up the stairs. He tapped lightly on her door and waited for a response.

"Yeah, come in" She said "I heard a car. Are the flowers here?"

"Not yet" He said stepping in.

She turned around sharply and her jaw dropped. She'd been sitting on the bed, putting on her shoes. She stood up silently and watched him, still too surprised to speak. He was similarly lost for words though, as he looked up and down at her.

"Wow" He whispered as he took her in. Her white dress, her hair off her face and falling in burgundy curls behind her shoulders, her blue green eyes sparkling "You look…wow"

"You think?" She asked timidly with a little smile, looking down at herself.

"Hey, I've said it before…if you weren't my cousin…"

She let out a laugh "You came" she said musingly "I didn't think you would"

"I wouldn't miss this for the world, kitten" He said with a smirk "I just didn't think you'd be happy to see me. _Are _you happy to see me?"

"Are you kidding, Dean?" She said walking over to him "You've just made this day perfect"

"Can you forgive me?" He asked her earnestly.

"Yep" She answered straight away "You?"

"Yep" He responded with a nod.

"Excellent, all done then" She said clasping her hands together "Let's never bring it up again"

"I didn't think it would be this easy" He said suspiciously "I though you'd make this really difficult"

"Why would I make it difficult?" She asked confused "I _wanted_ you to come back. I _want_ you here…admittedly, you happened to catch me on a very good day"

She wrapped her arms around him and he held her to him, placing his palms tentatively on her back, cautious not to touch her hair, or veil or nails or anything that could come off, break, or smudge. He thought about asking her why she hadn't said anything about their fight to Sam. Why she had chosen to keep it to herself. But he figured she might be just as ashamed of the things she said to him as he was about the things he'd said to her. She was right, better to just put it behind them.

"Thanks, Bel" He said.

She pulled away and with her index finger dabbed at the corner of her eyes "I don't want to talk about it anymore. If you make me cry my mascara will run"

"Sorry" He said teasing "I'd never forgive myself"

Missouri walked into the room abruptly. She held out a tuxedo hanging on a coat-hanger, and thrust it at Dean.

"There's your tux" She said "Better start getting ready"

"You got me a tux?" He asked in surprise, looking from Missouri to Isabel "I thought you didn't know I was coming"

Missouri's only response was an amused snort, as she walked out of the room.

"Have you seen Sam today?" Isabel asked once they were alone again.

"Yeah, just came back from there" He said, as he pulled the clear plastic covering away from the hanger "They wanted me to tell you that they are right on schedule, Captain"

"They were making fun of my timetable, weren't they?" She asked offended.

"It's a little on the Gestapo side, you gotta admit" He said.

"I'm just trying to keep as many things from going wrong as possible, Dean" She said "This is one of the most important days of my life!"

"I know" He said, unable to look her in the eye. They were interrupted again as a voice reached them from downstairs.

"Flowers are here!"

"I'll be right down!" Isabel screamed back, then turned to Dean "I better go. You can get ready in here"

"Am I still walking you down the aisle?" He asked hopefully.

"Only if we can go in your car!" She said, giving him a quick peck on the cheek and rushing out of the room.

Had it not been for the fact he hadn't seen his cousin in ages and that by some hand of fate he'd somehow been given a 'get out of jail free' card, it probably would have been one of Dean's worst and longest afternoons ever. The tux was uncomfortable, the shoes were uncomfortable and the entire house was a flurry of female fussing. _Is my hair still OK? Can you zip up my dress? Do I have lipstick on my teeth?_ He thought he was going to lose his mind. But after two hours, everyone was finally ready to go. Missouri got a message from Sam telling her that the boys had made it to the chapel and, mere seconds later, they were on their way.

As Isabel had requested, she rode with Dean in the Impala. The rest of the women piled into the white limo and followed them down the road. If he tried really hard and didn't look sideways at her, he could pretend this moment was taking place a year ago, when Isabel had been on the road with him and Sam, and it was just the three of them. He'd missed that month they'd spend together, and with a twinge of nostalgia thought about how different things were now, and how different they would become from now on.

They arrived twenty minutes later. Isabel finally spoke as they were ready to walk in.

"Oh my God" She said, bringing a hand to rest on her stomach "I think I'm gonna hurl"

"Cold feet?" He asked her.

"I'm terrified, Dean" She said looking up at him.

He smiled at her. He'd seen her terrified before, this wasn't it.

"It's not too late, you know?" He whispered in her ear as they watched her bridesmaids, Pam and Jenny walk down the aisle ahead of them "We can just run out, jump in the car and drive off. I still owe you a trip to Graceland"

"No!" She turned to him horrified, but realizing he was joking, she giggled "I want to marry Paul"

"Good" He said "Then what the hell are we waiting for? Let's go"

And there it was, their turn to walk in. She took a deep breath. He held his arm out for her but instead she grabbed his hand, smiling brightly as he squeezed back. She nodded at him and they turned to face the congregation as the wedding processional began.

Though the length of the aisle was only about fifteen yards, the walk seemed to take forever with everyone's eyes on them. Dean tried to keep his eyes straight ahead, and reassured himself that everyone was actually looking at the bride and not at him. Sam stood directly on Paul's right, a goofy smile plastered on his face as he watched Isabel and Dean slowly make their way towards them. Paul looked a little more tense. His face was a little pale and Dean could see a slight sheen of perspiration on his brow. The man was nervous. Tough it seemed that as Isabel got closer and closer to him, he started to relax and by the time the two had made it to the front of the chapel, Paul looked the absolute picture of serenity and could not take his eyes off of Isabel.

With a kiss on her forehead and an encouraging smile at Paul, Dean gave Isabel away then took his seat at the front pew next to Missouri. He tried not to roll his eyes and laugh when he noticed she was already crying.

The ceremony went without a glitch. Sam didn't forget the rings; Isabel and Paul didn't stuff up their vows and, as was usually the case, no one objected to the couple getting married. And just like that, Miss Isabel Bennett became Mrs Isabel Rhoades.

Outside the chapel, after the ceremony, Dean shook more hands than he'd ever shaken in his entire life and met more people than he had the capacity of remembering in one day. Seeing Tracy again was a little awkward, but she just gave him a flirty smile and made him promise he'd dance with her at the party, to which he happily obliged.

The party was held at a lodge just outside the city. Dean looked around quite impressed. It was more like a remodelled, decked out, lavish barn than a lodge, he thought. But the setting was indeed beautiful. Photos were taken amongst the cornfields, while guests settled in the reception area for cocktails. The guest rooms were reserved for immediate family, the bridal party, and, of course, the bride and groom. Sam and Dean checked into their room while Paul and Isabel were still out there getting their pictures taken. They took the private moment to go over what they needed to do that night.

"I still don't like this plan, Dean" Sam admitted as they set out everything for the ritual.

"Sam, don't worry" Dean said "It's safe"

"Can we talk to Missouri about this?" Sam asked, still not fully convinced "I have a bad feeling"

"No" Dean said sharply "No one else can know. It's just us two"

"Where are we going to do it?" Sam asked. They couldn't very well do it here.

Dean walked over to the window, looking over the cornfields. He spotted a small wooden shed about a quarter of a mile from where they were. Though it looked about to fall apart, it had quite an enchanting rustic appeal to it, and was obviously left there intentionally not only for ambience but to provide a rural backdrop for photos. Paul and Isabel were there at the moment.

"There" Dean said, pointing out the window "Far enough away from this place and everyone"

With the plan more or less figured out, they left the room to join the party. Neither betrayed the nervousness and anxiety they felt at what they were going to do that night. They tried to stay away from Missouri as much as they could, lest the psychic detect what they were planning. It was easier with Isabel. She was so wrapped up in the excitement of the day that she didn't notice her cousins were up to something.

Dinner came and went, and then the bridal waltz, the cake, the speeches, and the bouquet, which to Dean's alarm, Tracy ended up catching. By midnight most people had left and the ones still around were ready to turn in for the night. Paul, particularly, appeared to have drunk a considerate amount of wine, and Isabel stood next to Sam and Dean watching her new husband with a disillusioned expression on her face.

"Good thing we didn't wait for the wedding night" She said dryly "otherwise it would have been a major letdown"

"That's very romantic, Bel" Sam said just as dryly.

"Maybe it's just as well" She said with a shrug "I'm about ready to drop dead anyway"

Paul and Isabel were scheduled to go on their honeymoon to Jamaica the next afternoon. She kissed both her cousins goodnight and hugged them tightly, promising to see them the next day before they headed off to the airport.

"Thank you for everything, guys" She said "It's been a perfect day"

Paul came around behind her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Shall we head upstairs, Mrs Rhoades?" He whispered in her ear.

"Ooh, I like the sound of that" She said with a smile.

Sam and Dean stood in the barn an hour later. It was dark all around them, and only a few lights could be seen from the main building. Satisfied that there was no one around, they waited for the demon to show. Sam looked around, from the candles and incense to the smoking urn in the middle of the chalk circle.

"Well?" He asked "Where is it?"

"I don't know, Sam!" Dean said anxiously. He turned to his brother again as something reached his ears "Did you hear that?"

"No, what?"

"Someone's out there" Dean said running to the door and sliding it open. He cursed under his breath "Dammit, it's Isabel"

"What?" Sam rushed out to join his brother "What is she doing?"

"I don't know"

"Get her out of here!"

Dean ran out of the barn and headed down the gravel path for his cousin, who was now standing outside in the main building and looking around into the darkness. She heard Dean come towards her and with a frightened step back she tried to focus on the figure approaching her.

"Paul?" She asked tentatively.

"It's me" Dean said coming out from the shadows. In the moonlight she now recognized him and she let out a relieved breath.

"What the hell are you doing out here, Dean?" She asked with a hand to her chest "You scared the crap out of me!"

"What am _I_ doing here? What are _you _doing here?"

"I'm looking for Paul" She said, again turning her attention to the pitch black space around them and calling out for her husband "Paul!"

"You lost him?"

"He fell asleep. I went to Missouri's room to grab my bag and my clothes" She explained "When I came back to the room he was gone"

"What do you mean gone?"

"I mean gone, as in, he wasn't there!" She said "I thought I saw him out here"

"Maybe he's gone on one of his sleepwalks" Dean suggested. Thinking it could either be that or Paul might actually _be_ the demon.

"I guess" She said, then caught sight of another figure by the old barn "Paul?"

She ran towards it with Dean following her close behind "Isabel, come back!"

"Sam?" She asked as she reached the small building. She barged in and looked around the room, turning back to her cousins with a suspicious frown "What the hell is going on here?"

"We're just working on something" Dean said by means of explanation "Please, go back to your room"

"What about Paul?" She asked "You have to help me find him"

"Fine" Dean said in exasperation "You stay here, and we'll go look for him"

"I'm not staying here by myself!" She cried out.

"I'll go take a look around" Sam said "Stay here with Dean"

"Uh, Sam" Dean cut in "Maybe _you_ should stay with her?"

If the demon was going to turn up at some point, it was probably not a good idea to have Sam wondering about alone. Dean nodded.

"If I'm not back in ten minutes, take her back up to her room" Dean said before heading off into the darkness, in the direction of the parking lot.

There was no one around. The party had ended well over an hour ago and the caterers, waitresses and even the cleaning staff were gone for the night. The reception desk was deserted as well, though there was a bell for anyone to ring if they needed something urgently.

He walked up to the guest rooms. A gut feeling took him to the Bridal Suite. He knocked on the door and after a minute it opened and Paul stood in front of him.

"Oh" He said with a yawn "I thought you were Isabel"

"Have you been here the entire time?" Dean asked.

"Yeah" Paul said slowly.

"Isabel?"

"She went to Missouri's room" He said with another yawn "She forgot something or…to tell her something…I don't know…you know how she is"

"Missouri!" Dean said; dread already pooling in his stomach.

The psychic had the room next to his and Sam's and in a few long, fast strides he stood at the door and knocked. No one answered. He knocked again. He pulled a clip from his pocked and shimmied open the lock. He ran straight in and switched on the light.

Missouri was lying on her back, next to the window. Dean swiftly ran over to her and tried lifting her head. His fingers came away soaked in blood and he cursed aloud. Her pulse was strong, though, and her breathing even. He grabbed a pillow and rested her head on it. He stood up and turned to Paul, who was standing by the door in shock.

"Paul, stay with her" He said "Call an ambulance"

"Where are you going?" Paul called out as Dean sped down the corridor towards the stairs.

"To get your wife" He called out over his shoulders.

XXXXXXXX

AN: You know, here in Australia, February is _the_ month for weddings, as the weather tends to be (in my opinion, as I'm quite the beach enthusiast) absolutely perfect during the summer months. I've had three already this month, with a couple more in March (sadly, none of them mine). Needless to say, I was very inspired to write this chapter.

Thanks again to all reading and reviewing. Toodles, AT.


	32. By Demons Be Driven

Sam and Isabel watched each other quietly for a moment after Dean had left. Isabel leaned back against the closed door of the small shack and took off her shoes, moaning in relief as her bare feet touched the ground.

"You're still in your wedding dress" Sam pointed out.

"Didn't get a chance to change yet" She said. Though she wasn't wearing her veil, her hair was still up, and she now started to take all the pins out of her hair. Her loose curls dropped freely around her face "So…are you going to tell me what it is you're doing here in the middle of the night?"

"If I tell you, you'll kill us" He said sheepishly.

"What makes you think I'm not going to anyway?" She looked up at him with wink and a smile. She started to pace around the barn "This is about the demon, isn't it?"

"Yeah" Sam said "Dean says he's found a way to kill it"

"Really?" She asked, somewhat interested "How?"

"You don't need to know, Bel" He lied, thinking how strange it was that she wasn't angry he and Dean had chosen this very night to ambush the demon, or that they hadn't involved her in their plans. In fact, she seemed almost…indifferent. Isabel would have been furious.

"Your brother has been quite a pain in the ass, you know that?" She asked raising her eyebrows. She walked over to the small window and looked out "You think it's going to work?"

"How long has it been you?" He asked watching Isabel nervously as she turned around and faced him. She smiled as her eyes turned yellow.

"You must think I was born yesterday" She said coolly and her voice dripped with arrogance "Do you have any idea what it takes to bring something like me down?"

"Let her go" Sam said shakily.

"Not yet" She said with a casual shake of her head "Not until I get what I came for"

"Me?"

"_You_?" She asked amused, then shook her head "Oh, no…I've got better plans for you, Sam. I'm going to take someone else. I'll give you a hint; it's your brother"

"Dean?"

"Yes, I wasn't joking before, he really _is_ a thorn in my side" She said seriously "Now that that meddling psychic is out of the way, I'm going to get rid of your brother next, and finally, this pretty little thing in front of you…don't worry though, I'll come back for you, Sammy"

"I don't think so" Sam said raising the dart gun and pointing it straight at his cousin's chest.

She didn't look impressed or the slightest bit worried "Someone's grown a pair!" She said with an amused smirk. She turned to the door "Looks like we've got company"

"Sam, put that down!" Dean cried out as he stormed into the shack.

Isabel glanced his way "I gotta tell you, you're making this really easy for me"

"Step away from him!" Dean threatened the demon inhabiting his cousin's body.

"Brave, Dean" She said with an appreciative nod. The demon knew that threat was idle "Stupid, but brave"

"Go to hell"

"Yes, very original" She said sarcastically and rolled her eyes tiredly "We're all impressed by your wit"

"Like you can talk" Dean spat back "You always hide behind a human?"

Her smile disappeared "It's called leverage, Dean. Didn't daddy didn't teach you what that is? Guess not, or else he woudn't have given me the colt"

"You shut up about him, you son of a bitch"

"_This_ is what your father gave his life for?" She asked in disgust, looking him up and down "You should have killed me when you had the chance. What difference did it make in the end? Daddy died anyway!"

Dean came at her, but before he had a chance to react, she wrapped a hand around his throat and pinned him against the wall. She held him there easily, his feet a few inches off the ground. She turned and looked at Sam over her shoulder.

"Let him go" Sam said.

She frowned, mocking him "Is anyone else getting a sense of déjà vu?"

"Put him down!"

"Or what?" She screamed at him, all traces of amusement gone, then turned to Dean with a malicious grin "You'll bleed on my dress?"

"I will shoot you!"

"What, with your dart gun?" She asked as she let go of Dean, physically. He still remained pinned against the wall by an invisible force. She started walking slowly over to Sam "Do you really think that's going to stop me?_ Before_ I break your brother's neck from across the room?"

"No, Sam!" Dean choked out "Don't"

"If you're not lying then I've got nothing to lose by trying, do I?" Sam continued, not taking his eyes from the demon.

"Go on then. If it helps at all…" She said closing her eyes for a moment, before opening them again "She _wants _you to do it"

"Don't do it, Sam!"

"She's going to die anyway, Sam" She said with a sad shrug "Not even _you_ can stop that!"

"Wanna bet?" He asked and fired.

The dart easily pierced through the layers of beads, satin and the lining of her dress. The needle made its way right into her heart and instantly the fluid was pumped through her body. He stood motionless as she looked down at her chest and pulled out the empty dart that was sticking out.

"No!" Dean yelled as the demon lost his hold and he slid down the wall "No!"

"Ouch" She dropped the dart on the ground and looked up at Sam again, with a laugh "Was that it?"

Her smile suddenly vanished and she took a sharp breath as the color started to drain from her face.

"Isabel?" Sam asked.

"What…was…in that?" She said slowly, as she struggled to get air into her lungs.

Her hands went to her chest, clutching at an invisible weight. But the stifling sensation was generated from within her. Her muscles gave out and she fell to her knees. Sam caught her before she hit the ground and gently lowered her to the ground. He turned to Dean worriedly.

"Dean?"

Dean was immediately beside him 'What did you do, Sam?" He asked panicked as he took his cousin's face in his hands. She was still gasping and he called out to her "Isabel? Isabel!"

"Can't …breathe"

"Sam, quickly! The book!" he shouted, letting go of Isabel and reaching for the back pack nearby. He dropped all the contents on to the floor and picked up the salt. Remaining in his kneeling position he turned in a circle, pouring the salt liberally around them "Now, Sam!"

Sam reentered the circle and kneeled on the other side of his cousin, opening the book to the Latin passage they used for exorcisms and opening the bottle of holy water "Should I start?"

"Yes! Start, now!" Dean's tone had gone from panicked to urgent. Without waiting for Sam he grabbed the silver wire and began to wrap individual lengths around Isabel's ankles, binding the demon to her body.

"_Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas_" Sam began cautiously, watching Isabel closely. He sprinkled her with the water as he spoke. She turned to him, her face distorted in rage.

"An _exorcism_?" She hissed "This isn't going to kill me"

"Don't listen to him, Sam!" Dean shouted, now binding her wrists. The potion within her was working and she wasn't resisting "Keep going! Hurry!"

"_omnis incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica_"

"I'll come back. This won't hold me forever" She promised with an evil laugh "I'll come back for you!"

Dean grabbed her jaw with his hand and brought his face down to her, his voice dripping menace "We'll be waiting" He turned to Sam "Don't stop, Sam!"

"_Adjuro ergo te, draco nequíssime, in nómine Agni immaculate_"

Sam stopped as Isabel started convulsing. Her skin had paled visibly and her lips had begun to turn a frightening shade of blue. Her mouth opened, but her chest and throat would not move to allow air in. Her movements started to slow and she turned her eyes to him. They were no longer yellow.

"Sam" She mouthed out, not able to speak.

"Dean?" Sam turned to his brother in alarm.

Dean grabbed for the syringe containing the antidote, and prompted Sam.

"Finish it, Sam!" He yelled "Now!"

Isabel reached feebly for Sam and he leaned in closer "Get…it….out of…me!"

With the last few words uttered by Sam, a black cloud erupted from Isabel's mouth and with no where and no one to go it vanished as quickly as it had come, leaving the room in silence. The only sounds now were the rapid panting of Sam and Dean, and the dying gasps of Isabel, slowing down in time with her heart beat.

"Dean, what's happening to her?"

"She's dying, Sam"

"What do you mean dying?" Sam asked in horror "You said this was safe!"

Dean swallowed hard and returned this attention to Isabel "Hang in there, kitten. Stay with us"

He gently turned her head, exposing the side of her neck. The lack of oxygen in her blood and the venous pooling made her jugular vein all the more prominent. He uncapped the syringe with his teeth, inserted the needle into the engorged vessel and injected the liquid.

He moved back and they waited anxiously.

"Her blood pressure's too low" Sam said shaking his head. He had a basic understanding of human physiology; enough to know that her heart wasn't pumping fast or hard enough to deliver the drug around her body. He pressed a finger to her neck "It's slow, Dean. Too slow"

"Adrenaline!" Dean said pointing to the large syringe by his backpack. Sam was already reaching for it.

Without a second to waste Dean sprung into action. He grabbed the hem of her bodice and ripped it in half at the seams, tearing it from her torso and exposing her upper chest. He took the uncapped syringe from Sam and without giving himself the luxury of hesitation, plunged the needle into her chest in a quick stab.

The result was instant. She gasped loudly, and her chest started to move up and down as she caught her breath. Within seconds the color returned to her face as oxygenated blood begun flowing through her body again. Two minutes later she lay on the ground, her breathing and heart rate having returned to normal levels. Dean and Sam watched her silently.

"Isabel?" Sam asked quietly.

She glanced his way before she looked down at the huge needle protruding from her chest. She closed her eyes and turned away from it, repulsed.

"Will someone please pull that out me, like, now?" Her voice was husky, and she tried swallowing.

Sam pulled the needle slowly from her chest, making her wince at the sensation.

"Are you OK?" Dean asked her.

She didn't answer, but gave him a look that spoke volumes. Anger, for sure, disappointment and hurt, but he also detected the slightest trace of hate. She'd never looked at him like that before and he suddenly wondered if it had all been worth it.

"Was it worth it?" She asked, as if reading his thoughts "This is why you really came back?"

"I can explain"

"Don't bother, Dean" She said standing up. She faltered trying to regain her balance and Dean and Sam grabbed her arms and helped her stand. Once on her feet, she shook them both off violently. She took a step back from them and shook her head as she held her dress up and crossed her arms over her chest "I'm going to go check on Missouri. You better pray she's OK"

"Bel, I'm sorry, I…"

"Don't" She said, walking out the door without even looking back "Just… don't"

The moment she left, Sam quickly turned on Dean. It was obvious now to him that his older brother hadn't really planned things properly or taken into account the possibility that other people could be put at risk. What angered Sam now, most of all, was that the exorcism had been a lot more dangerous than Dean had let on.

"You didn't know if it would really work, did you?" Sam asked "The exorcism, the antidote. You were just winging it"

"It didn't really go as I planned, OK?" Dean conceded "I admit it"

"Didn't go as you planned?" Sam asked in disbelief "Dean, she almost died!"

"I told you not to shoot!"

"But I should have shot _you _if that thing had been inside you? That was your plan? To turn me into a murderer?"

"Look, man, I know you're mad, but we won tonight" Dean said "Look around, he's gone and we're alive. We've won"

And once more Dean was taken by surprise as his brother's fist came at him at an immense speed. Sam had never lashed out at him in anger before, and he suddenly felt that he'd overestimated their success. Yes, looking at the whole picture, they may have won, but at what cost?

Dean fell back against the wall and brought his hand back up to his face. Blood was trickling down his nose and he wiped at it with the sleeve of his jacket. Had Sam not been looking at him with a look of complete anguish, he would have made an attempt at an explanation. Knowing Sam was right, and that he'd taken a huge risk today, not just with their lives, but those of Isabel, Paul, Missouri… he wisely remained quiet.

"I almost killed her, Dean" Sam said quietly "I could have killed _you_! You think I could live with myself if I had?"

He didn't wait for an answer. He turned and walked out, following Isabel back up to the main building. The sounds of sirens could be heard in the distance as the paramedics were fast approaching. It was a sound he could never get used to, no matter how often he'd heard it.

XXXXXX

AN: Thank you for reading. Feel free to review! Toodles, AT.


	33. Don't Dream It's Over

Once again, Dean found himself in the doghouse. Even Paul, with his seemingly unlimited tolerance, refused to talk to him. They'd only been in the hospital for half an hour before a nurse approached them to tell them Missouri had suffered a concussion and that she would be just fine. She was allowed to have a visitor, but only for a moment as she needed her rest. Isabel took the honors and headed into the psychic's room, but not before throwing Dean one last angry glare. Missouri's doctor stepped out of the room and came to speak to them.

Thankfully, Missouri had apparently told the paramedics she had taken a bad fall and she couldn't quite remember how, a story which, after a wedding and some serious alcohol consumption, the hospital staff were inclined to believe. They didn't call the police, and all three men breathed a sigh of relief, none more so than Dean. Isabel getting arrested on her wedding night would have been the final nail in Dean's coffin, and he knew it.

The doctor kept speaking, telling them that Missouri would be kept overnight for observation but would be allowed to go home the following morning. Dean quietly and subtly turned away from the conversation and headed into Missouri's room. He walked in quietly and shut the door behind him. Both women turned to him, their stony silence making him squirm.

"I think any kind of apology will be pretty useless tonight" Isabel said coldly and turned back to Missouri.

"I need to speak to you. Now" He said defiantly.

"Dean, Missouri needs to rest, and I don't really want to talk to you right now"

"It's important" He insisted.

"And my wedding _wasn't_?" She spun around and faced him finally "It's my wedding night, Dean, and look at where I am!"

"Let him speak" Missouri said gently, making Isabel turn again in surprise "What is it, Dean?"

"I can't believe this" Isabel said indignantly, reacting violently to both Missouri and Dean "I'm not staying"

She tried to walk around Dean, to the door, but he grabbed her arm as she walked past. She pulled away from him roughly, as if he'd burnt her.

"Isabel" he tried.

"I'm leaving" She said tersely, reaching for the door.

Before she had a chance to open it, he grabbed her arm again, this time more forcefully and dragged her back into the room. He stood in front of the door steadily, blocking any possible exit. If looks could kill, Dean would have fallen dead on the spot.

"Let me out"

"No"

"I'm leaving, Dean" She repeated and tried to move around him.

"No" He said sternly "You are going to stay here, you are going to shut up, and you are going to just listen"

She scoffed but realized that if he wanted to keep her in that room and make her listen, he physically could. And from the look on his face, he probably would.

"Make it good and make it quick" She said.

"First of all, I'm sorry about…"

"Sorry?" She interrupted angrily, making Dean roll his eyes in frustration "Dean, you can't just go around doing whatever you want then try to fix it all with an apology! It's not that easy and…"

"Will you for once, shut the hell up?" He roared at her "Please!"

She shut her mouth and looked up at him, seething. Her nostrils flared and he could tell she was struggling with the shutting up part.

"You used me" She hissed accusingly.

"I didn't"

"That thing was inside me! It made me hurt Missouri, it made me hurt you" She said sniffing back tears furiously "I thought I was going to die!"

"It was supposed to be me, not you!" He said.

She was stunned into silence for a moment.

"You?" She asked finally "Are you saying you…called it…you made it come?"

"I didn't know what else to do!" Said Dean in frustration as he ran a hand through his hair "You don't understand, Isabel"

"Of course I don't understand!" She screamed at him "Explain it to me, Dean!"

"I'm trying to protect Sam"

"Protect Sam?" She asked confused "From what?"

"The demon"

"So you made it come to you? That doesn't make sense!"

"Isabel, let him speak" Missouri ordered.

Isabel took a deep calming breath and raised her eyebrows expectantly at Dean. He nodded and continued.

"Before our dad died, he told me something. He told me why the demon is after Sam" He said slowly and carefully "He wants Sam to turn evil…he wants Sam on his side"

Isabel vaguely remembered something the demon had said while she'd been possessed by it. He'd said he had big plans for Sam. It made sense now. But she still couldn't believe that Sam could ever be evil. Not in a million years.

"Sam? Turn evil?" She shook her head, the idea sounded even more absurd when she said it out loud "Never happen"

"I'm not taking the chance" Dean said "I'm not letting my brother become something…"

Isabel paled and Dean didn't have to finish that sentence.

"But, Sam would never…" She said weakly "I don't believe it"

"No, Bel, you don't_ want_ to believe it…neither do I" Said Dean, he struggled voicing his thoughts out loud for the first time "But…if he ever does, if it happens…I don't have it in me to kill him"

If possible, Isabel turned even paler and for a second she looked like she was about to faint.

"Kill him?" The words didn't even sound real as they came out of her mouth.

"Dad said if it ever came to that…it's something I have to be prepared to do" He said swallowing the lump in his throat "But I can't…I _know_ I'd never be able to"

Her eyes watered as the night went from bad to worse and she turned to Missouri desperately. If Sam had even the slightest capacity for evil, wouldn't she have felt it?

"Missouri? Have you felt it?"

"Felt what?"

"Anything! In Sam!" She said "I mean…Sam isn't evil. He's the sweetest guy I know. There's not a single mean bone in his body"

"Everyone is capable of evil Isabel, if pushed far enough" The psychic said gravely.

Suddenly she remembered something else the demon had said and she turned to Dean urgently.

"The demon! He said something else!" She said anxiously "He said he was going to get rid of you, of all of us! _Then_ he would come for Sam!"

"That could push him over, for sure" Dean said as it started to make awful sense "Think about it, mom, dad, and Jess are gone, with us out of the way too, there'd be no one to stop him"

"You almost did his job for him tonight" She spat out accusingly.

"I had to do something, Isabel" Dean said defensively "I had to take a chance"

"Dean, if what you're saying is true, then you can't afford to take chances like that, least of all with your own life" Her tone softened, but it was still stern, trying to get her point across "In the end, you might be the only one who can stop this from happening"

"In the meantime we need to find a way to kill this demon, once and for all" Dean said "I don't know how much time we've got"

"I thought without the colt, there was no way"

"If there's something I've learnt in this job, is that there's _always_ a way" He said adamantly.

No further apologies were made. It was almost like there had been an unspoken agreement that the events of the night had taken place for a bigger purpose. If Dean was right about the demon, and both Isabel and Missouri now believed he was, then maybe the night hadn't been a complete disaster, but a blessing in disguise.

Both women were scared. Not only for their own lives, having now been made fully aware that they were on this demon's 'people get rid of' list, but also for the implications of what it would mean to be removed from the picture altogether.

Sam…evil.

Isabel shuddered to think of it. She'd seen darkness in her older cousin, the blind determination and frightening ruthlessness with which Dean sometimes hunted. She'd even seen it in herself. She had felt murderous rage when the deranged doctor had threatened the lives of her husband and cousins. Yes, she had to agree with Missouri. People _were_ capable of anything if pushed far enough. But, without them around, what would Sam be capable of?

XXXXXXXX

AN: I will thank you again for your reviews. They're fantastic. They're really helping me get this done. Toodles to all, AT.


	34. God's Gonna Cut You Down

Isabel and Paul left for Jamaica the following day as scheduled. They had only been able to get a couple of hours of sleep after leaving the hospital, and barely a few more to pack their bags and leave for the airport. Isabel left Missouri's hospital discharge in the capable hands of Sam as well as the job of house-sitting. Dean's sole task for the time she was away was to tell Sam about their conversation in Missouri's hospital room, regardless of his reluctance. Missouri thankfully took Isabel's side.

"She's right, Dean" Missouri said as Dean drove her back to her house the day after the wedding "You have to tell him"

"I know" Dean said tiredly "it's just that, with everything that's happened…with our dad…things are hard enough already"

"Secrets will only make them harder"

Back at the house with Sam, Dean thought about how to tell his brother the truth. It had been strained between them after the wedding, but to Dean's relief, Sam was rationally accepting and took Dean's confession with a grain of salt. Dean made it very clear to his brother that he didn't believe that Sam could be turned evil or made to hurt anyone, but pointed out that that wouldn't keep the demon from trying.

Sam was suddenly afraid; afraid of himself, afraid of what he could be turned into or what he may be made to do, and afraid that his family would now see him differently. Dean saw it on his face.

"Listen to me, Sam" Dean said fervently as they sat in the kitchen after dinner "I don't believe for a second what that demon said about you ever being evil. Not for a second, you hear me?"

Sam nodded "What else did dad say?"

Dean faltered and took a swig from his beer "That's it"

After a moment of quiet contemplation Sam finally broke the silence, with words that Dean never wanted to hear again. Not from his father, and certainly not from his brother.

"Listen Dean. If that ever happens, if I ever…you know" He didn't finish his sentence "You'll have to stop me"

"Don't, Sam! No!" Dean cut in alarmed. He stood up abruptly from his seat and left the kitchen "Not you too!"

"What do you mean?" Sam asked following him into the lounge room.

"Dad! Right before he died" Dean whirled in his spot to face Sam "He said if it ever came to it, I would have to stop you. Kill you!"

"He did?" Sam asked quietly. It now made sense why dean had needed to disappear after their father's death. Imagine your own father telling you one day you might have to kill your brother. Your own flesh and blood.

"Those were his last words to me, Sam!" Dean's tone was laced with bitterness.

"He's right, Dean"

"That's a lot of weight on my shoulders. First he tells me I might have to kill you, then I find out I was supposed to die. He gave his life for mine" He started pacing "It's too much, Sam, it's too much!"

"It's not your fault he's gone"

"I know that! But he's still gone, Sam, and I don't know what to do!" Dean screamed desperately "All I know is that I have to do everything I can to stop this, and that's what I did last night"

"But you need to tell me these things, Dean" Sam pleaded "I can't lose anyone else. Not you, not Isabel"

"You think _I_ can?" Dean asked "I still can't believe dad's gone"

"OK, let's think this through" Sam said calmly, trying to get back to the business, to the issue at hand "Now that we know what the demon wants, how do we stop it?"

"We need to find a way to kill this thing, Sam"

"No. We need to take one thing at a time, Dean" said Sam "The first thing we need to do, _together_, is stop this demon from coming back"

Two weeks later, Dean received a call from Ash at the Roadhouse. It was a Sunday afternoon and Missouri had stopped by to make sure the house was still in one piece. She was pleasantly surprised that even though two single boys had been living in it for two weeks, it hadn't turned into a complete bachelor pad or a dump. She tidied up a little, knowing Isabel and Paul would be back in couple of days, and then Dean drove her home.

His cell rang as he pulled up to her driveway and Missouri watched him closely as he spoke to Ash. She didn't know what was being said, but she could sense his struggle with the news. He hung up and looked sideways at her on the passenger seat.

"I need to talk to Sam" He said.

She nodded in understanding and got out of the car; a look of concern on her face as she watched him drive off.

He got back to the house and found Sam in the lounge room, on his laptop. He looked up from the computer as Dean walked in through the door.

"I haven't been able to find much" He said "Haunting in Georgia and what might be the work of a werewolf in North Carolina"

"Forget that" Dean said dismissively "I just spoke to Ash"

"Any news?" Sam asked hopefully.

"I have good news and bad news"

Of course, Sam thought wryly "Good news first"

"There's a way to stop the demon from coming back. Ever"

"That's great!" Sam said excited, but immediately calmed himself down as he saw Dean's face. If it was that simple, he wouldn't have that look on his face "Wait, what's the bad news?"

"It's not an option" Said Dean with a shake of his head.

"Why not?" Sam flipped his laptop shut.

Dean sat down on the couch and exhaled loudly. His shoulders slumped, he looked tired, sad, and defeated.

"The exorcism we performed on Isabel…it bound the demon to her" Dean explained regretfully "For life"

"What does that mean?" Sam asked, not fully understanding.

"It's bound to her for the rest of her life. It can only come back through her" Dean continued "The only way to stop it from coming back is if…"

Sam closed his eyes in horrible realization "She dies"

"Without her alive, he has no way back" Dean said "It's the only way to stop it"

"You're not suggesting we…" Sam tried to ask in dismay.

"Of course I'm not!" Dean said, alarmed that Sam would think that the thought had even crossed his mind "I said it _wasn't_ an option"

"Do we tell her?"

"I don't know" Dean said "But something tells me that if we don't, it'll come back to bite us in the ass later. Keeping secrets hasn't worked well for us in the past"

"She should know. We can help her…maybe prevent it" Sam said unsurely "How much time do we have?"

"I don't know" Dean said "It'll probably wait until he's stronger…until she's weak. Maybe if she's sick, vulnerable…"

"Or angry, or sad, or scared" Sam listed off possible scenarios "There's no way of knowing"

"It should have been me" Dean said leaning forwards to rest his elbows on his knees. He buried his face in his hands "I really screwed up, Sam. I'm sorry"

Sam took a seat next to his brother "You know, sometimes I think tracking her down and showing up at her house two years ago was the worst thing we could have done for her"

"You had that dream for a reason, Sam" Dean said.

He thought of Sam's dream about their cousin being in danger. The strange thing was that, if they hadn't gone to her, she would have never gotten hurt. She would still be living in Belleville, Illinois, unaware of what her cousins were getting themselves into. Had John being right, abandoning her for her own good? Or were _they_ right, reuniting with their cousin after so many years? Isabel always said that she didn't regret a single thing of how everything had turned out so far. She never regretted the day they walked back into her life. But Sam and Dean sometimes felt different. Times like this.

"We've done nothing but bring her problem after problem" Sam said sadly "Dad was right, we dragged her into this"

"Maybe it was supposed to be this way, Sam"

"You believe in fate now?"

"No, but I'm starting to believe that certain things happen for a reason"

At the end of the day, Dean really did believe Sam had that dream about Isabel for a reason. They were supposed to find their cousin. Maybe they didn't _drag_ her into this, maybe she was always _meant_ to be a part of this. That might have been why their dad refused to take her in when her parents died. It might have been why he'd convinced her to stay in Kansas with Missouri instead of going along with him and Sam. Maybe he'd known all along and pushing her away was his way of preventing it. His only way of protecting her. Maybe John had been right all this time.

XXXXX

AN: Thank you all for the reviews. 5 more chapters! Toodles, AT.


	35. The Honeymoon Is Over

"Me? It has to come back through _me_?" Isabel asked in dismay "Why?"

She had come back from her honeymoon the day before, and Sam and Dean had given her exactly 12 hours of domestic bliss before cornering her after Paul had left for work the next morning and telling her what they'd found out from Ash. She looked at them with piercing eyes. They were lucky her honeymoon had temporarily mellowed her out, or she would have thrown one of her legendary hissy fits.

"It was in your body when it was exorcised, you're its portal back" Dean explained "He can only return through you"

"Is there a way to stop it?"

"No" Dean said weakly as he and Sam shared a look "But, we're looking into it"

The look didn't go unnoticed by her and she narrowed her eyes suspiciously at them.

"You're lying"

"OK" Dean confessed "There is a way, but it's not gonna happen"

"Why not? What is it?"

"He's bound to you as long as you're alive"

It took her about five seconds to fully understand what that meant "You mean…he can't come back if… I die…"

She had the sudden urge to pack her bags and leave for Jamaica again, and never come back. It had been easy to forget everything that had happened when she'd been lying on a tropical sun-drenched beach day after day working on a tan with no mention of demons, ghosts or spirits. Escaping reality had never seemed so tempting.

"If you die before he gets a chance to return, he's trapped in hell forever" Sam said, confirming her conclusion.

"Oh my God" She whispered as her face paled. She stood from her chair and took a wary step back. Away from Sam and Dean. She looked at them unsurely "What…what are you going to do?"

Sam stood up also and made a move towards her but stopped suddenly when she took another step away from him. He looked down at her dejectedly. Her eyes betrayed her. Right there, buried under the concern and shock, he could detect the faintest trace of fear. And it hurt.

"Please don't look at me like that" He begged her.

"I'm sorry, it's just that…I don't know what to think"

But she did, and they did too. It was easy to read her mind at that very moment. She was asking herself how far her cousins would go to stop that demon. She was also asking herself how far she would go.

"We're going to find another way" Sam said, his tone resolute and snapping her out of it "You hear me, Bel? No one here is dying!"

A week later Sam and Dean decided to hit the road once more. Isabel and Paul had settled together in life as husband and wife, and it was time for the Winchesters to move on. The decision had been reached with a lack of enthusiasm, both because they knew they would miss their cousin, but also because there was now a more pressing element of danger in leaving her behind.

As much as Isabel would have loved for her cousins to stay behind in Lawrence and settle down once and for all, this time around she found herself out of steam to protest their departure. Stopping the demon had now become not only a matter of revenge or justice, but urgent necessity. Dean and Sam's vendetta was now a race against time to stop the demon from taking what little was left of their family. As much as she had always hated their unrelenting pursuit of the demon that had killed their mother and recently, their father, being unwillingly caught up in the middle of it all made her realize that, just like her cousins, she now just wanted it to be over. No matter what.

Reluctantly, though with a certain sense of resolve, Sam and Dean packed their bags and prepared to leave Lawrence, both assured by Missouri and Isabel to be contacted immediately the moment anything felt out of the ordinary. But they didn't leave without leaving their mark. Salt, holy water, chalk, pendants, crystals, incense; Sam and Dean had turned Isabel's house into a new age pagan repository. Isabel looked around at the obscure and abstract artifacts around her house, clearly not impressed by how the new additions affected her home's decor.

"It looks like a sixteenth century alchemy lab" She said "Is all this really necessary?"

"This is serious, Bel" Sam said, still marking window sills with chalk "You have to take as many precautions as possible"

"I feel like I'm in the Supernatural Witness Protection Program" She said dryly "How long do you think I can hide like this?"

"Not forever" Dean said shaking his head as he painted a thin line around the doors with silver-based paint "But hopefully long enough until we figure out what to do"

"This isn't just to make it harder for him to find you either. It should hold him off too" Sam added, turning to her "Wear your pendant when you leave the house. Missouri's going to check in on you everyday. Salt your windows at night, the chalk should…"

"Yeah Sam, I got it the first twenty times you told me" She interrupted him tiredly. She would miss the days when all she had to do before going to bed was brush her teeth and turn the lights off.

"Just make sure you do it" Dean said more authoritatively "All of it"

They had breakfast together before Isabel had to go back to work, and as Sam and Dean stood to gather their things and leave, she stopped them, pulling them into the living room and taking a seat.

"Before you go, I want to say something" She pronounced ominously.

Sam and Dean shared an amused look as they followed suit and sat down as well. After a moment of silence Dean rolled his eyes impatiently. She always had this habit of announcing she had something important to say then sitting in motionless silence, presumably contemplating how to actually say it.

"Are you going to actually say it?" He asked impatiently.

"Listen, guys" She started and Sam immediately disliked her tone "If the last couple or so years I've been around you two have taught me anything, is that there is a much bigger picture out there. Beyond each of us individually, right?"

"Oh God, not another philosophy lecture" Dean said with a groan. He looked at her with a bored expression.

"That wasn't actually an invitation for you to speak, Dean" She said wryly.

"Sorry, please continue, because I'm dying to know where you're going with this" He replied with sarcastic enthusiasm and a matching smile.

She ignored his remark and continued, turning to Sam, who was not sharing Dean's casual attitude.

"I'm trying to say, that whatever you find out, about the demon, how to fight it, kill it, whatever…in the end you have to consider the options"

Dean stared blankly at her with a frown of his face, like she'd asked him the atomic mass of plutonium. He turned to Sam.

"Sam, please translate"

"I'm not sure I follow either" Sam said unsurely, but a little apprehensive.

She took a deep breath and tried again.

"We've established that if this demon comes back, one of the things you have to be prepared to do, Dean, is…stop Sam" She said, still unable to replace the word 'stop' with 'kill'.

"Where _are_ you going with this?" Dean asked, joining his brother in the apprehension department.

"I'm saying that it might not lie solely with Sam. Maybe we all have to be prepared to make a similar sacrifice, if push comes to shove"

Dean and Sam exchanged an uneasy look and Dean turned back to Isabel suspiciously.

"Explain exactly what you mean by that" He said firmly.

"I mean that everything could hang on a split second decision, and maybe, for once, we need to think about what's at stake…weigh up one single life against however many other innocent ones"

Dean clenched his jaw and gave Sam another look. Yep, that what he'd thought she meant. He turned to her again, trying to maintain calm.

"Isabel, if you're thinking of doing what I think you're saying, so help me God I'll…"

"No, of course I'm not!" She said alarmed. She'd contemplated the idea of suicide for a maximum of two microseconds "Remember how the demon said you had a chance to kill it while he possessed your dad?"

"Yeah" Sam said slowly, only mildly relieved at her denial of what he'd also for a moment feared she meant.

"You couldn't do it and in the end he died anyway, and you're still no closer to killing this thing and, we have no way of knowing how many more people will die because of him"

"Get to the point, Bel" Dean insisted, not in the mood to hear how the inability to kill his only remaining parent could be used as proof of failure.

"If this demon comes back and you have a chance to kill it, promise me you will…no matter whose body it's in or whose life is at stake"

"What?" Sam asked in shock.

Dean knew what she meant; 'no matter whose life is at stake', meaning even hers.

"No" He said with a stubborn shake of his head.

"You want to discuss the_ other_ option?" She asked bitingly.

"Don't even _think_ about it" Dean threatened, trying to keep his anger in check at her glib attempt to use suicide as a bargaining chip. He knew she wasn't serious, but it didn't make it any easier to hear her say it.

"Listen, I know this isn't something you want to think about, let alone talk about, but I would rather give my life than risk yours, or Paul's, or Missouri's, or God knows how many others if this demon ends up winning" She said gently "So, I'm just saying, that if at some point it falls on you to make that choice…I guess I'm saying that I'm OK with it"

"So I have permission to kill you? Awesome! I have Sam's, too" Dean yelled with heated cynicism. He stood up and started pacing "That's just great! That's a huge weight off my shoulders, thank you Isabel!"

"You're the one who called the demon without reading the fine print! Now it's stuck to me" She countered "You owe me this"

"Emotional blackmail. Nice!" He said bitterly "I was wondering when you were going to use that"

"You're not leaving me much choice, Dean. Look, I'm only asking you to do it if you absolutely have to" She insisted, ignoring his rant "I won't hold you responsible"

"Do you think I could have that in writing?" He said dryly "That way, when I've got your blood on my hands, I can still go to sleep at night with a clean conscience!"

"OK" Sam said with a gentle nod of his head.

Dean turned sharply to his brother and realized he was talking to Isabel, not him.

"OK?" He asked incredulously "You're actually going along with this…madness?"

"Dean, we're going to try everything we can to prevent this, but…if all else fails" Sam pleaded "She's right, there's more at stake than just our own lives"

"I can't believe this" Dean said shaking his head as he looked down at his cousin and brother.

"It's a last resort, Dean" Isabel added "Let's promise each other we'll stop this demon, no matter whose life is on the line"

Sam, already having come to terms with the possibility that one day he might turn evil and have to be killed, could not without a degree of hypocrisy, deny his cousin or disagree with her. Survival wasn't worth it if it meant other people had to die, especially people you loved. And one thing he knew with certainty about this demon was that it would go after the people closest to them first. Isabel was proposing a fair deal.

"I promise" He said agreeing with her.

They turned to Dean expectantly.

"Fine" He said finally, his tone still on edge "I promise. But it won't come to that. We_ will_ find another way"

"I know you will" She said with a faint smile.

After that conversation the goodbyes were somewhat tense. Both Sam and Dean embraced their cousin warmly, and Isabel tried hard not to cry as she once again bid them goodbye. They promised to come visit her again and for the hundredth time made her promise to call if anything happened.

But nothing did happen, and a month later, after a couple of hunts and no developments on the demon front, they found themselves on the way back to Lawrence, to finally be greeted by a surprising piece of good news.

XXXXXX

AN: Thank you all reviewers: HYPERLITE, Hidden Writings, Dean's Baby22, LorGilFan, snchills, Younique, mooneasterbunny, hotforjensen101. Yeah, you guys rock!

OK, I'm going to go back to finish the next chapter now. Toodles, AT


	36. Graceland

AN: Well done to those who picked Isabel would get pregnant. They needed some good news.

XXXXXXX

When Sam and Dean finally made their way back to Lawrence a little under a month later, Paul and Isabel had settled easily into their newlywed routine. Their welcome was warm and cheerful, and Sam and Dean felt immensely fortunate and comforted to know that no matter what happened on the road or what they went through during their hunts, they at least had this place to come back to. Every time they came down it felt more and more like home.

Missouri came around the same night and together with Isabel prepared a large hearty feast, while the boys relaxed and took a load off. Paul went to bed early, informing the boys that he had an early flight the following morning. The University of Texas in Houston had recruited Paul to present a series of lectures on urban mythology as part of the syllabus for sophomore history students at the start of each academic semester. It meant that twice a year, for two weeks, he would be in another state. Isabel joked that it would give them a welcome break from each other. A marital time out. Paul didn't find it quite so funny and before going to bed, made Sam and Dean both promise that they would stay with her for the two weeks he was away and keep an eye on her.

After the table was cleared and the dishes done, Dean drove Missouri home. When he came back he settled back on the couch in the lounge room to watch TV, while Sam and Isabel sat next to each other at the kitchen table, talking and drinking tea. Sam caught her up on what he and Dean had been doing in the last month. Their run in with another hunter Gordon, their encounter with Andy and his powers of mind control, he told her about Ellen, Jo and Ash at the roadhouse. Twenty minutes into his monologue, with the occasional nod or wow from Isabel, he could no longer ignore the fact that she was without a doubt not listening to a single word he was saying.

"Are you even listening to me?" He asked waving a hand in front of her face.

She blinked at him "Huh?"

"I've been talking for the last twenty minutes" Said Sam with a small smile "apparently to myself"

"I'm sorry" She said, lightly tapping him on his knee "I'm just…a little preoccupied"

"What's bothering you?"

She looked around the kitchen and back towards lounge room. She could hear the TV in the in the other room and the unmistakable sounds of Dean snoring. She leaned in towards Sam.

"I'm late" She whispered.

He looked at her for a moment and the meaning became instantly clear. He'd been in a serious relationship before and he knew what those words meant.

"Oh" He said lowering his voice as well "How late?"

Jessica had once uttered those words to him about six months after they'd started going out. They had stopped his heart cold. In her case, 'late' had meant only a couple of days, and they'd both almost fainted in relief when her body finally caught up with her cycle. Needless to say, they were very careful after that.

"Too late" Isabel said "Like, three weeks"

"You should get checked out" He suggested. He knew three weeks was more significant than a few days.

"I know" She said frowning "Can you imagine?"

"A honeymoon baby?" He asked amused "A little cliché, isn't it?"

"I don't know" She said, now thinking seriously about the timeline "Three weeks, means it could have happened anytime between four to six weeks ago"

"You could have been pregnant at your wedding?" The smirk on his face reminded her of Dean and she wondered if the two were spending too much time together and starting to rub off on each other "I stand corrected…shotgun wedding! How very radical of you, Bel"

"What can I say, I live for controversy" She said with a mock scandalized gasp, before waving her hand in a dismissive gesture "In any case, it's not for sure yet"

"Get one of those home pregnancy tests"

"I did. It's been sitting in the back of my shoe rack for five days"

"What are you waiting for?"

"Paul to go away" She said casually "I don't want him to freak out"

"I'm getting the feeling it's not a wanted pregnancy"

"Unplanned, Sam, not unwanted" She corrected him "The thing is…I know for a fact Paul wants it. I don't' want to tell him until I know for sure"

"And you?"

She took a moment to answer "It just doesn't feel like the right time yet, with everything that's happening"

"I know what you mean" He let out a deep breath "But deep down you want this too, don't you?"

"I don't know"

"What are you more afraid of, that the test will be negative or that it will be positive?"

She looked at him sharply for a moment before her face broke into a grin. Her apprehension belied her excitement at the prospect of being pregnant.

"I don't think there's anything I want more right now than kids" She said "I want them and I want them now"

"Then take the test" He said encouragingly as he wrapped his hand around her.

She looked at him and bit her lip. She smiled again and nodded enthusiastically "Tomorrow"

He smiled back "Tomorrow"

The next morning Paul left for the airport. Isabel felt him stir in the bed next to her and woke up with him, in spite of the ungodly hour. He quietly gathered his luggage and briefcase while Isabel made him some breakfast. She watched from the front door as he pulled out of the driveway, giving him a final wave and a little sad smile. She walked back into the house and sighed. The sun was starting to rise and she knew there was no way she'd be able to go back to sleep. Sam and Dean were still sleeping and with nothing better to do, she changed into a track suit and went for a run.

She came back to find both Dean and Sam in the kitchen waiting for her. She poured herself a glass of water and gulped it down. She put the empty glass in the dishwater and turned to find her cousins staring at her intently.

"Are you waiting for me to make you breakfast?" She asked with a smile to let them know she found the notion hilarious and highly unlikely.

"No" Dean said with a casual shrug and crudely added "We're waiting for you to pee on a stick"

She turned to Sam "You _told_ him?"

"I'm sorry" Sam said innocently "Was it supposed to be a secret?"

"Of course not, but" She said "I just thought…I…it"

"Stop stalling and take the damn test, will you?" Dean piped in impatiently "Come on, I wanna know if I'm gonna be an uncle"

She smiled along with them before it slowly morphed into an anxious frown.

"I'm nervous" She admitted.

"It'll be fine, kitten" Dean said gently.

Without another word she rushed out of the kitchen and ran into her room, fishing behind the shoe rack in her closet for the brown paper back containing the pregnancy test kit. She took it with her to the bathroom and stared at it through the clear shower curtain the entire time she took a shower

Sam and Dean waited patiently for her in the kitchen, slowly making themselves breakfast as they listened to the sounds of running water from the bathroom. Twenty minutes later the shower stopped running and they looked at each other in anticipation. Ever since Sam had told Dean about the possibility of Isabel being pregnant, the events of the last few months seemed to take backstage and both of them were now brimming with hope that it be true.

The bathroom door opened and a few seconds later Isabel slowly walked into the kitchen. Her eyes were red and puffy. Tears had already started making their way down her cheeks. She looked from the white plastic stick in her hand then up at both her cousins. Sam made a move towards her but before either he or Dean had a chance to say anything, she leapt forward and jumped up into Sam's arms. He put his arms around her to support her and hold her up as she wrapped all her limbs around him and screamed loudly into his ear.

"It's positive!" She shrieked, making Sam laugh and cringe at the same time "It's positive!"

She let go of Sam and he set her down on her feet again. Dean moved forward and threw his own arms around her shoulders, pulling her to him.

"Awesome!" He said, kissing the top of her head.

"I can't believe it!" She said laughing as she stepped back and wiped at her tears of joy "I can't stop crying and laughing at the same time!"

Sam grabbed the box of tissues from above the refrigerator and held it out to her. She took a few with a shaking hand, and then wiped her face and blew her nose.

After a few minutes she'd calmed down, though it was obvious she could hardly contain her excitement. She decided that before she did anything else or told anyone, specifically Paul, she should go to her doctor and get properly checked out. It became quite possibly the longest day in her life as she waited for her appointment the following day. Sam and Dean drove her into downtown Lawrence to see her doctor, who promptly informed her that she was indeed pregnant. It was hard to tell, but she couldn't pinpoint the conception date to anything more accurate than five to six weeks.

"So there's no way of telling if you were pregnant before the wedding?" Dean asked her once they were back at the house that night.

"No" She said as she started to empty the dishwasher.

"Don't you don't keep track of…"

"No, Dean we don't keep a tally" She said sarcastically before he had a chance to finish his vulgar thought "I also happen to be a little sketchy when it comes to taking the pill"

"That's really romantic, Bel" Sam said dryly from his seat at the table "Make sure you tell that story to your kids"

"Anyway, if I_ was_ pregnant at my wedding, it's a miracle it survived that exorcism" There was no accusation in her tone, she was just pointing out a simple fact "It doesn't matter, I don't care when it was conceived"

"Except if anyone else asks" Sam offered.

"That's right! If anyone else asks it was during the honeymoon" She said with authority "Are we all clear?"

"Crystal" Sam agreed.

"We have to celebrate" Dean said suddenly.

"How?" She asked "I'd love a big fat margarita the size of my bathtub, but that's not going to happen now, is it?"

"Not for a while" Dean said with malicious glee.

"Thin ice, Dean, thin ice" She said threateningly.

"What can we do?" Sam pondered aloud.

"I've got it!" Dean said abruptly, slapping his hand on the kitchen bench "Are you working this weekend?"

"No" She replied slowly.

"Good, then pack your bags 'cause we're going to Graceland"

Her jaw dropped and she stared at her older cousin "For real?"

"Yeah, for real" He said with an eager nod "You've been wanting to go for ages, haven't you? Well, now you've got the weekend off, Paul's away, me and Sam are here with you, it's perfect timing. We're going, baby"

She turned to Sam, her eyes shining with excitement. She wanted confirmation that Dean's offer was for real and he wasn't just yanking her chain.

"Memphis it is!" He said with a smile.

"Alright! Yeah!" She squealed as she stood from her chair and gave Dean and Sam each a loud kiss on the cheek "I'm going to pack"

"Bel, it's only Wednesday" Sam pointed out, laughing at his cousin.

"Oh, you're right" She said, genuinely disappointed "But Friday is so far away. I can't wait that long"

"You've waited two years" Dean added "Two more days isn't gonna kill you"

Friday came around more quickly than she thought it would. In between her cousins visiting, her job at the spa and the daily never ending ritual involved in keeping herself hidden from the demon, she didn't really have much time for any other thoughts other than when she should break the news of her pregnancy to Paul. She decided, and her cousins agreed, that she should tell him personally face to face the moment he came back, which unfortunately meant, that all three had to keep the news secret from everybody else until then. Missouri would be the hardest, and all three were gratefully relieved to be away from Lawrence that weekend.

They piled into the Impala on Friday evening and as soon as they hit the interstate to Tennessee Isabel pulled out a tape from her purse and thrust it between the two front seats, motioning Sam to play it. He grabbed it from her, and with a groan realized it was an Elvis tape.

"To get us in the mood" She said.

"Sensational" Sam said sarcastically.

"The guy at the music store laughed at me when I asked for it" She said.

"Well, do you blame him? What kind of dork under fifty listens to Elvis" Dean said teasing her "Seriously, Bel"

"He laughed because I asked for a _tape_" She said just as haughtily "I told him it was for my Grandpa, who'd never heard of a CD player"

Sam and Isabel broke out in laughter and Dean thrust the tape into the deck just to drown them out.

They went to Graceland on Saturday, spending most of the afternoon wondering around the castle that the King of Rock and Roll called home. Sometimes, when you want to do or see something for so long, when you finally do, it never lives up to one's expectations. Isabel thought how people often say fantasy is better than reality. In this particular occasion, that was not true. Maybe it was the fact that she'd just found out she was pregnant, maybe it was the fact that she was on the road with her cousins again, even if only for a couple of days, but more than likely it was the absolute extravagance and marvel of the place she had so far only imagined. She had an amazing time, made all the much better with the knowledge that Sam and Dean had also enjoyed it.

The only mention made of Isabel's pregnancy with relation to their research on the demon was hastily dealt with the day Sam and Dean left Lawrence again. Paul was flying back from Houston the following day and Sam suggested they give the newlyweds time alone to share the news. Dean added that with Isabel's new condition it was probably a good idea to get moving with their search for a permanent method of extermination anyway.

Not for the first time, Sam and Dean realized that it was getting harder and harder to leave their cousin with every visit they made to Lawrence. They promised Isabel that they would visit again by Christmas at the very latest, which was only three months away.

"Can you believe it?" Dean asked Sam as they drove away from Lawrence "We're gonna be uncles"

"I know" Sam said with a smile "Life has a weird sense of humor, doesn't it?"

Soon they would find out just how weird and perverse life's sense of humor could really be.


	37. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

Winter in Kansas arrived without mercy in December and snow blanketed Lawrence as Sam and Dean reached Isabel's neighborhood and pulled up to her house. Daylight was fading and the Christmas lights around the porch illuminated the front yard, beckoning them to come inside, where it was warm and festive.

They walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell. Isabel and Paul opened it and stood in front of them smiling merrily with matching Santa hats on their heads. Sam's and Dean's eyes widened in surprise as they took in their cousin and her new growing figure.

"Merry Christmas!" They cheered in unison.

"Look at you!" Sam said happily giving her a hug. There was no mistaking the bump on her stomach now.

Dean, without any tact whatsoever, added "You're huge!"

"I'm pregnant, dumbass" She said slapping him lightly on his arm.

"Hasn't even been four months" He continued undeterred "What are you carrying? Twins, triplets?"

"Twins, as a matter of fact"

"No way! Really?" He asked in surprise. That would explain why she was already showing so noticeably and the extra weight she'd put on.

"Had my ultrasound two days ago" She said smiling brightly and nodding as Paul put an arm around her shoulder"A girl and a boy"

"That's awesome" Sam said with a grin.

"Yeah" Dean agreed "Two birds, one stone"

"Come on in" She said motioning them to get inside "It's cold"

"What is that?" Dean asked sniffing the air as his stomach growled "Smells good"

"That would be dinner, boys" She said walking towards the kitchen "Missouri and I are preparing quite the feast"

They walked into the kitchen to find the older woman near the oven. She was basting the most succulent turkey Sam and Dean had seen in a very long time. Sam's stomach loudly joined Dean's as they looked at the golden bird longingly. It wasn't the only item on the menu and as both boys tore their eyes away from the magnificent main dish, they roamed over a wide array of plates and trays covering the entire bench space of the small kitchen; everything from mash potatoes and yams to salads and various cakes, all at different stages of the preparing, cooking, and baking process.

"How many people are you expecting?" Sam asked looking at the massive amounts of food.

"Just us" Isabel said "And Paul's sister Pam and her husband. Why?"

"It's a lot of food" Sam pointed out.

"That's what you say _now_" She said with a smile "Besides, ever since my morning sickness went away I haven't been able to stop eating everything, and I mean _everything_"

"It's true" Missouri finally joined the conversation as she put the turkey back inside the oven "I saw her eating a pickle and peanut butter sandwich the other day"

Sam and Dean turned to Isabel with disgusted grimaces on their faces. She could do nothing but nod in agreement.

"I know. Disgusting" She admitted freely with a shrug "I ate three"

She hadn't lied. She really did eat everything. It became obvious to Sam and Dean that Paul, Pam, Missouri and even Pam's husband Harvey had been around Isabel enough lately to not be staggered in the slightest by the amount of food Isabel put away in that single seating over dinner that night. Her cousins, though, were baffled as to how much food could fit into a single person, and a small one at that. She literally ate more than the two of them together. She noticed they were staring at her, repulsed by her insatiable appetite.

"What?" She asked testily with a full mouth.

"Nothing" Sam said quickly, trying not to retch when she poured an obscene amount of maple syrup over her entire dinner plate, turkey, mash potatoes, salad and all. His appetite vanished immediately and he turned back to his own plate and dropped his fork "Yeah, I'm done"

"That's gross, Bel" Dean said.

She turned sharply to her older cousin.

"Don't" Paul muttered quietly to Dean under his breath.

"Have you ever tried it?" Isabel snapped back at her older cousin.

"No" Dean said.

"Then don't knock it until you do" She challenged pushing her plate towards him.

He looked around the table for help but Paul shook his head at him "I tried to warn you, man"

Not willing to back out of a challenge he grabbed his fork and took a mouthful of mashed potatoes drenched in maple syrup, aware that everyone was staring at him, and they all appeared amused, especially Isabel. He swallowed slowly and shrugged.

"It's not that bad" He said to Sam.

"I'll take your word for it" Sam said, clearly not convinced.

"You should have seen what she made _me_ try last week" Paul said with a shudder "Olives and chocolate ice cream…_together_"

"Don't listen to them, honey" Pam said to Isabel encouragingly, ignoring the groans from the men. Having gone through two pregnancies of her own already, she fully understood bizarre cravings "You eat whatever you want"

It was easier to talk once everyone had left. Sam and Dean sat with Isabel and Paul in the lounge room after the others had gone home.

"Finally, some peace and quiet" Isabel said resting her head back against Paul's shoulder.

"Don't get too used to it" Sam said.

"Yeah, just another five months"

"Oh God, and there's gonna be two of them" Isabel said with a groan.

"When is the due date?" Sam asked as he thought about the timeline and added five months from Christmas.

"May 1st" Isabel said.

"That's just before my birthday" Sam said, sharing a glance with Dean. He briefly wondered if that meant anything.

"Yeah…so?" Isabel asked slowly, opening her eyes and pinning her cousin with a questioning glare.

"Nothing" He said with forced casualness "It's just a coincidence, that's all"

"Oh no" She said sitting up on the couch "You just used the 'c' word"

They told her about the others. The other children like Sam. Isabel wasn't surprised to find out Sam wasn't the only one with powers, but she was unsettled by the similarity in their lives. It was obvious the demon had some sort of master plan, of which they had only been able to scratch the surface. They were still in the dark about so much. So much they didn't know.

"We don't really know what any of it means" Dean said, trying to keep his cousin calm.

While he didn't want to keep anything important from Isabel, she was no longer in a state to be anxious or stressed. He quickly changed the conversation and told her about getting arrested in Baltimore, which she found funny. He told her about the uncomfortable and awkward argument with Ellen and Jo from the roadhouse, which she found even funnier. He told her about the deal-making demon, conveniently leaving out the part where he almost traded his life for his dad's soul. But she was perceptive, and she watched Dean intently as he related the story.

"Imagine being able to get back someone you've lost. Like our parents" She said softly once he finished "It would be tempting to make that deal, without caring what it costs"

"Would you?" He asked her.

"I want to say no…and mean it but…" She said thinking about it, then added quietly as she avoided his eyes "I don't know"

"It would cost you your soul" Sam pointed out, a little alarmed. He already knew that Dean had considered making a deal, but it scared him to think Isabel would consider it too.

"I know, Sam, and I also believe that once people die, that's it. No one should mess with death" She said "But…if that demon were standing right in front of me offering my parents back… I can't guarantee I wouldn't make that deal"

They watched her quietly for a moment.

"I don't think you would" Dean said finally.

"Probably not" She said lightly, noticing the mood had plummeted dramatically "You know what I'd ask for? To not have to go through labor…_twice_! Seriously, anything to get out of it"

They only stayed for a few more days, wanting to get back where they left off and try to make more sense of what they'd found out about the others like Sam. Isabel told them that Paul would be heading to Houston again in a few months, and they agreed to visit again in April so she wouldn't be alone for those two weeks.

XXXXXXX

AN: So close…so close. In the next chapter we'll go back to chapter 1 as the timeline catches up to that day. Toodles, AT


	38. Who Knows Where The Time Goes

AN: This chapter goes back to the start of the story as we go back over that day. Hope you enjoy and thanx again to all who have reviewed. Toodles, AT.

XXXXXXXX

April came around faster than either Sam or Dean expected, though they supposed that was generally the case when one was so busy. By then though, they ran into a lull in their hunts and a dead end in their research of the demon. It was the last week of March when Sam had a dream about Isabel. It was slightly vague but it had seemed to him that his cousin was in a hospital of some sort, screaming, crying and squeezing his hand so hard that when he woke up he could actually feel the pressure around his knuckles.

Dean laughed along with him when he retold his dream to his brother. They were both anxious and excited about Isabel's labor and the prospect of being uncles to not one, but two babies.

"I'll bet she's having nightmares about it too" Dean said as they decided it was time to head south to Lawrence again.

By the time they saw their cousin again, she was heavily pregnant and complaining non-stop of back aches. The only consolation to her was the occasional kicking inside her womb. She would stop mid-complaint and instinctively rest her hand on her belly, smiling and laughing when she felt a limb push against her abdominal wall.

"It feels so weird" She said turning to Sam who was sitting next to her on the couch.

Because she hardly felt like cooking anymore, they'd agreed to order out for pizza, and because it was more comfortable for her, they agreed to eat on the couch in the lounge room. Sam and Dean polished off a six pack of beer with their dinner, while she quietly and sulkily sipped on her non-alcoholic water.

"Does it hurt?" He asked curiously.

"A little, depending on what they hit" She said "It's worse when they _both_ get into it. It's like they're wrestling in there or something"

"Can I touch it?" He asked tentatively.

She grabbed his hand and rested in on the right side of her belly, where it began to curve downwards.

"Wait for it" She said then took a sharp intake of air when she felt the pressure against her skin.

Sam felt it too and he let out a gasp of surprise before looking up at her and laughing in wonderment.

"That's amazing" He said quietly.

''I know" Agreed Isabel "No matter how many times you feel it, it doesn't get old"

Two weeks went by. Isabel missed her husband terribly but it was too late into her pregnancy to fly with him to Texas. At least she had her cousins with her, waiting on her hand and foot. She was usually the one taking care of the men and this was a welcome change of pace for her. Dean would drive her at any time of the day or night to the convenience store so she could buy whatever candy bar, or chips or cookie dough she unexpectedly got a craving for. Sam even attended one of her Lamaze classes as a proxy for Paul, invoking a current of praiseful sighs and approving nods from the other expectant mothers. She hardly wanted her pregnancy to end.

Isabel woke up early the day Paul was scheduled to return and she could hardly believe that the two weeks he'd been away had gone so quickly. She suspected her cousins were the reason time had flown by. To her surprise, Dean was already up, and what was more, he'd made breakfast.

"I'm shocked and horrified" She said as she waddled up to the kitchen table "How come you're up so early?"

"I wanted to take a look at the Impala and fix her before we leave"

"Is she sick?" She asked in concern, knowing how much that car meant to him.

"I think it might be the transmission" He said setting a plate full of toast on the kitchen table.

Last time it had been the distributor cap, before that the head gasket. The wear and tear of so much time on the road was finally starting to take its toll on the car. That poor car had been put through so much. Especially after 'the accident'.

"Can you fix it?"

"I'm not sure" Said Dean as he sat down across from her and took a sip from his coffee.

Sam walked into the kitchen and watched his brother and cousin eating breakfast with an apprehensive look. He looked up at the clock suspiciously, as if wondering if perhaps he'd encountered some sort of time warp.

"You're _both_ up before me" He said "It's like I'm in the twilight zone"

"Your brother even made us breakfast" Pointed out Isabel as Sam took a seat next to her.

"Is there anything you want to do today?" He asked her.

"I have an appointment with my obstetrician today" She said sipping on her herbal tea and wishing it was coffee "Final ultrasound"

"What time?"

"Just before lunch" Isabel said then sheepishly added "I'm not really looking forward to it. I can barely fit behind the steering wheel anymore"

"Want me to drive you?" Sam offered, taking her bait.

"That would be awesome, thank you!" She said in relief "I hate going by myself"

"Anything else you need?"

"Nope, that's it. I'm yours all day" She said happily.

After breakfast Isabel rang Paul. After a lengthy conversation, mainly consisting of Isabel recounting the last few days since they'd spoken to each other, and ending with numerous declarations of _I love you_ and _I miss you, _Isabel and Sam got ready to go while Dean sat at the kitchen table reading the paper. Sam and Isabel joined they prepared to leave. Isabel grabbed her car keys and handed them to Sam.

"Sure you don't wanna come with us?" She asked her older cousin.

"It's an ultrasound, Isabel, not open heart surgery" He said not taking his eyes off of the sports page.

"Come on. We can make a day out of it!" She pressed on brightly "Hey, I know! We can go out for lunch afterwards…and…there's a new exhibit at the art gallery!"

"Sounds good, I'm in" Sam said.

Sam and Isabel turned to Dean expectantly with mirrored smiles of anticipation. He laughed at them. Did they not know him at all?

"I think I'll pass" He said sarcastically "Tempting as all that sounds"

"Fine. Don't spend any time with the cousin you hardly ever visit" She said "Stay and sulk all day. Come on, let's go Sam"

"See if you can get the engine fixed" Sam suggested.

"Yeah, I might take her to Guenther"

Sam and Isabel jumped into the SUV and drove to the medical centre in Lawrence. They chatted together as they sat in the waiting room.

"Have you picked out names yet?" He asked her.

"Yeah, we have" She said with a mischievous smile "but I'm not telling you"

He tried again but she staunchly refused, claiming he would just have to wait. He laughed and gave up, saying that Dean would be able to get it out of her later.

"We'll see" She said, then stood up as her name was called out.

Half and hour and three trashy magazines later, Isabel stepped out of the doctor's office and motioned to Sam that they could go.

The walked around Lawrence for a while, until Isabel complained her feet were hurting and she needed to sit down. The picked out a small café, sat at one of the tables outside and ordered lunch. The weather wasn't yet warm, but the sun was shining brightly and the air was fresh and crisp.

The appointment had gone well. She was right on track and everything looked normal. The only thing the doctor had mentioned was that there was a small chance of a premature birth. But that was nothing to get worried about as it tended to be common with multiple pregnancies. Bottom line, she might deliver any time between now and the five weeks leading up to her due date.

"But it's not dangerous?" Sam asked her.

"Apparently not" She said with a shrug "Hey, the earlier the better. Look how big I am already, I can hardly move"

They finished their lunch and proceeded to walk to the arts centre to check out the new exhibition at the gallery, which had been set up in anticipation of the art auction later that month.

It was around two hours after they'd been inside that Isabel inched her way towards Sam and grabbed his arm, her hand clasping tightly around his elbow. He looked down at her questioningly and he immediately noticed something was wrong. She was pale, panting and her face contorted in pain. She tried to say something to him but her she couldn't even get past the first word as it fused with a whimper to create a loud moan, followed by a wail.

"What's wrong? Are you OK?"

She took a couple of breaths and tried again.

"I think it's time" She said between pants.

"It's too soon" He said, as if it was up to her.

She looked at him strangely "Yeah? You think? Should we wait until_ you're_ ready?" She asked bitingly.

"Come on, lets get you to the car" He said as he put an arm around her waist to support her.

Another contraction hit her and she buckled in pain. Sam pulled her along to sit on a padded bench against a wall nearby. A few people had noticed the commotion and had come to her aid; their faces a mixture of concern, sympathy and excitement. A security guard brought her a glass of water.

"I'm not moving" She said resolutely with a moan.

"I'll call 911" The security guard said as he already started dialing.

The paramedics arrived and as they wheeled her out on the stretcher, the people in the gallery applauded and wished her luck. As they reached the hospital, Isabel gripped Sam's hand tightly.

"Call Paul" Said Isabel, realizing she'd left her cell phone charging at home.

Paul wasn't answering "He's probably on the plane" Sam said as they started to wheel Isabel inside "I'll call Dean"

"Sir, no cell phones in the ER" One of the EMTs told him and pointed to a sign on the wall corroborating his order.

"Sam, don't leave me" Isabel pleaded.

Sam looked around unsurely and then handed the phone to one of the paramedics who was standing near the reception logging Isabel's admission in with one of the nurses.

"Excuse me, my name is Sam. I have to go in with her. Can you please let my brother know where we are? Thank you so much" he said in a single breath.

He didn't wait for the man to accept or refuse before turning around and following Isabel and the mob of nurses and doctors that had taken her in to the ER. He hoped Dean would get the message, hopefully in time to be there for the birth of the twins.

XXXXX

Yeah, that was fun to write!


	39. I'll Be Seeing You

AN: I wrote this chapter a while ago and I've been dreading posting it since. I figured I should before I change my mind. Please don't hate me.

XXXXXXXX

At the hospital, Dean felt like he'd been pacing for hours, but as he glanced down at his watch then up to the clock on the wall in front of him for confirmation, he realized it had only been about five minutes. Seven minutes, to be precise. Still, no one had yet approached him to tell him what the hell was going on and he was starting to get more and more antsy.

There was a small corridor next to the nurses' station leading up to what looked like some sort of balcony. He figured it was probably there for people in his exact situation who needed the pseudo-calming effects of a nicotine hit that could only be obtained from sucking on a cigarette. He didn't smoke, but figured the fresh air might do him good anyway. At least it gave him something to do and, out there, he might be able to curse aloud without one of the nurses threatening to call security. Again.

He stepped out onto the cool April evening. There was a small patio designed to serve as a smoker's retreat, and it was completely deserted. The only thing there, apart from the unnecessarily excessive foliage and the industrial-sized ashtray by the door, was a small wood and wrought iron bench in the middle of the small courtyard.

He took a seat on the bench, his back facing the wall. He sat and he worried, just as he'd done inside. All this had provided was a change of scenery. The dialogue in his mind was the same: _Where are Sam and Isabel? Are they OK? Are they alive? Why won't anyone tell me what happened? What the hell am I going to tell Paul when he gets here?_

Something else was poking its way through the worry and anxiety though, gently clawing at him. It was almost a sixth sense. Something didn't feel right. But he couldn't put his finger on it.

He was startled moments later by a voice. Unmistakable. It sent shockwaves through his body. The relief washed over him like a warm current.

"Are you hiding from me?"

"Isabel!" He exclaimed in surprise as he turned to find his cousin standing a few feet behind him with her arms crossed and a playful smile on her face "I didn't even hear you there"

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you"

He immediately rose from his seat and rushed to her, hugging her tightly as he exhaled in relief.

"Oh, thank Christ you're OK. What the hell happened?"

"I started having contractions in the art gallery" She said.

"Already? But you're not due for another five weeks" He said as he pulled away.

"I know, tell me about it!" She said in indignation as she walked over to the bench and took a seat. She patted the spot next to her for him to join her.

"Is everything OK now?" he asked, still needing more reassurance "The twins?"

"The babies are fine" She said "Your brother, though, completely freaked out"

"Did he? I'd laugh but… I freaked out too" He said with a nervous laugh as he ran a palm over his face "You have no idea how worried I was"

"Sorry to scare you" She said seriously.

"Should you be out here?" He asked as he looked down at her, dressed in a thin hospital gown. Her feet bare on the cold hard concrete. He took off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. He sat down on the bench next to her.

"Probably not" She whispered and gave him a mischievous wink "But I really wanted to see you"

"How did you know I was out here?" He asked her.

She shrugged slightly "I just did"

"Is Sam OK?"

"Yeah, he's …upset right now…but he'll be fine" She said swallowing. Her eyes were glistening but he figured it was just the frosty wind.

"Is he inside?"

"Yeah, he's afraid to come find you"

"Why?"

"Because he didn't call you in time to…" She said. She opened her mouth to say something but then obviously thought better of it. Instead she added "He's not really in a talking mood right now. I figured I'd come talk to you first. I don't want you to be mad at him…or me"

"Why would I be mad at him… or you?" He was confused again. Why did she have to be so cryptic?

"Remember you said that" She said with a pointed finger at him.

"I'm not mad" He insisted "I was worried and scared. Not mad"

She smiled and playfully bumped her shoulder against his "You're going to make a great uncle, you know that?"

"I'm going to be the coolest uncle ever!" He stated as fact. Indisputable fact.

"I'm sure you will" She said with a laugh "You'll always look out for them, won't you? I have a feeling Paul is going to be the kind of dad who'll let them get away with anything. He's not really one for discipline"

"Oh, you want discipline? You got it! I won't buy beer for them until they're at_ least_ eighteen" He said joking "And the girl? Oh, she will _never_ date!"

"Mary" She said.

"What?"

"The girl, her name is Mary Jane" Isabel said with a small smile "I'm naming her after both our moms"

"And the boy?"

"Thomas John" She answered, her smile widening "After our dads"

"Paul doesn't get a say?"

"He gets Rhoades at the end of both of them, _and_ at the end of mine" Isabel said with a shake of her head "It was non-negotiable. I told him from the start I was naming them after our parents"

Dean was speechless and all he could do was nod. He hadn'd expected that in a million years. Especially using John's name. He'd always been so sure there had been nothing buy animosity between his dad and his cousin. She read his mind.

"Life's too short to hold grudges" She said "It doesn't matter anymore"

"Sounds like you had an epiphany" He said with a little chuckle.

She laughed at him then quickly sobered up, looking up at him anxiously.

"Is Paul on his way?" She choked out.

"Yeah, I just spoke to him" Said Dean "He should be here soon"

"Good. Listen Dean, I can't stay for long I have to go back soon. Can you go wait for Paul, please? He's going to need you"

He looked at her strangely but nodded "OK, I'll go back and wait for him"

He stood up and grabbed her hand, gently pulling her up, but she tugged back and looked up at him uncertainly.

"I'm going to stay out here for a minute" She said looking around before finally and reluctantly meeting his eyes "I need a little time to pull myself together"

"It's freezing" He pointed out.

"I can't really feel it" She said with a shrug.

"You OK?" Dean asked her again.

"Yeah, just…it's been a difficult day, Dean" She said gently "You should go find Sam, he's looking for you. You two need to talk"

He frowned at her, but nodded. He bent down to place a kiss on top of her head and then turned to make his way to the door.

"Hey, Dean?" She called him back.

He turned "Yeah?"

"Have I ever thanked you for everything you've done for me?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Dean, you and Sam have saved my life so many times. The last couple or years have just been…wonderful, and it's because of you. I'll always be grateful that you came to find me. Don't forget that"

"You don't need to thank me, Bel. I'm just glad you're happy"

"Oh, I have been, Dean" She said "This is a happy day. It might not seem like it now, but it is a very happy day for me"

"Those hormones make you really strange, you know that?" He said, and then added with a smirk "Well, stranger than usual"

She smiled at him sadly as tears formed in her eyes "Yeah…hormones"

"Don't ever scare me like that again, OK?" He threatened idly.

"I promise" She said "last time ever"

"OK, I'm gonna go look for Sam" He said "Don't stay here too long"

"I won't" She said "Hey, Dean"

"What?"

"I love you" She said "Always"

"Me too, kitten" He said. The clawing was back, in the back of his mind, trying to make its way forward "See you soon?"

She smiled brightly and gave him a little wave "Bye, Dean"

He rushed back inside, quickly glancing back through the glass. She was still sitting therel, her back to him as she hugged herself tightly and looked up at the sky. He worried. She must have had a good scare today, he thought to himself.

He walked down the corridor and back to the waiting room, finding Sam sitting down by himself. Strangely enough, Sam was in the same chair Dean had been sitting on minutes earlier. His head rested in his hands as his whole body shook. Dean could tell he was crying. He looked around. The whole place was quiet, save for the nurse at the desk watching them sympathetically. He approached Sam slowly.

"Hey, Sam. You OK?"

Sam raised his head to as he heard his brother's voice, but refused to meet his eyes. Dean looked down into the pale, heartbroken face of his younger brother. Sam stood quietly, a slight shake of his head before he broke down and tears ran down his face. He wiped at them absently. Dean walked over to him and put a hand on his brother's shoulder.

"Sam?"

"I'm sorry, Dean" Sam choked through tears, unable still to look into his brother's eyes.

"Don't be, man" Dean said "I'm just glad you guys are fine"

Sam frowned in confusion as he finally looked into his brother's eyes.

"What?'

"Yeah, It's OK" Dean assured his younger brother "I just spoke to her"

"Who?"

"Who? Isabel" Dean said. Had they given his brother some sort of sedative? "She told me what happened"

"What are you talking about?"

"Dude, what's up with you?" Dean asked, getting more confused by the minute "Isabel. I just spoke to her. Sam, you sure you're OK?"

Sam watched Dean blankly for a second, unsure as to how to continue.

"Dean" Sam started. His eyes watered again and his bottom lip began to quiver. He gathered up all the strength he could muster before he collapsed into a sobbing mess "Isabel's gone"

The effect on Dean was immediate. The world stopped around him. His heart stopped in his chest. His blood stopped pumping and the ground felt like it was sinking, taking him with it. When everything started moving again, it was in slow motion.

"What?" He whispered out.

"She died, Dean" Sam said with a sob "In surgery, about half an hour ago"

Dean shook his head vehemently. He looked down the corridor he'd come down. No one there. He didn't think he'd told his legs to move, but in a flash he was running down towards the door, unaware of anything around him. Not even Sam, calling out his name. He flung it open and looked around the small deserted courtyard.

"Isabel?" He called out desperately "Bel?"

But there was no reply. There was no one there. The bench was empty, save for his leather jacket, neatly folded and hanging over the wrought iron armrest. He heard movement behind him and he turned quickly, only to face Sam again. He stood there with a sad, grief-stricken look on his face as he watched his older brother come to terms with what he'd had to moments earlier.

"No, Sammy" Dean cried out vehemently as his own tears clouded his vision "I just saw her, she was just here! No!"

"I was there, Dean" Sam said and shook his head sadly "She's gone"

Though he couldn't bring himself to believe it, he knew this was something Sam would not lie about. When he spoke again, his voice sounded alien, as if belonging to someone else. Someone else who'd lost a loved one. Not him. Not again.

"How?"

"At the gallery. She went into early labor" Sam explained, trying to get through the details without breaking down "There was a lot of bleeding. They operated to get the twins out but she….she'd already lost a lot of blood and …she didn't make it"

Again, Dean resorted to denial. Only because it was easier to get a hold on than acceptance. It was easier than grief. Even though he'd been through this enough to know that there was no getting around it. Wanted or not, the grief would come, and when it finally hit, it would hurt like hell.

"I saw her, Sam! I swear!" Dean screamed, frantically turning as he gestured to the spot where Isabel had stood in front of him, the bench where she'd been sitting down. He grabbed his jacket and waved it at him, as if it were proof "She was right here in front of me. She spoke to me!"

"What did she say?" Sam asked gently.

He believed his older brother and was willing to wait however long it took him to deal with the fact. It had taken Sam himself some time to believe that the lifeless body on the surgical table in front of him had really been his once spirited and lively cousin, alive and joking with him only hours earlier. Like Jessica burning on the ceiling, like his father lying dead on a hospital floor, the image of Isabel's ghostly pale face, pretty even in death, would haunt him forever. Another one of those moments that was harder to forget than to remember. He was glad that it would not be the last memory Dean had of her. If Dean's last memory of her was of the two of them sitting on that bench talking, then he would go along with it. He would let him have that.

Dean closed his eyes, replaying in his mind the conversation he'd had with his cousin moments earlier. He opened them as realization hit him like an arctic wave that chilled him all the way to his bones and he swallowed the lump in his throat. Now it made sense, and he cursed himself for not listening to his instincts when they told him something wasn't right.

"Goodbye" He said, now understanding. He hung his head as tears fell "She was saying goodbye"

XXXXX

OK, you can hate me a little.

Toodles, AT


	40. The Ground Beneath Her Feet

AN: I'm sorry it's taken so long for this chapter to come out but I was suffering from denial too. After I posted the last chapter and read your reviews, I started having second thoughts.

I'm sorry about killing Isabel off, but I had planned on her dying right from the start. In fact, I was thinking of killing her in the first story, but then felt her work wasn't done.

I also always knew she would die naturally and not because of some supernatural entity. In the show everyone seems to die because of someone, or something. I figured it would be harder for the boys to accept a natural death.

XXXXX

_Lawrence, Kansas_

It took almost an entire week for Paul to even bring himself to pick up his two newborn children and hold them in his arms. Born a few weeks premature, they had fared very well in the outside world and with the help of modern medicine they thrived, as if those mere five weeks they should have remained inside their mother's womb would have made no difference.

Paul's sister, Pamela, wanted nothing more than to help, although she was already busy with two children of her own. Being the quintessential soccer mom left her very little time to attend to her grieving brother, make all the funeral arrangements _and_ look after her newborn niece and nephew. So it rested mainly on Missouri and Sam to look after Thomas and Mary in that week immediately after Isabel's death.

Dean suffered in a similar fashion to Paul and for the first week stayed away from the hospital nursery altogether. It was fear that the overwhelming sense of loss and grief would morph into resentment for the two innocent and unknowing lives that had survived the whole tragedy. Dean figured that maybe once he got a hold of himself and was certain enough that he could look at Isabel's children without unconsciously resenting them for having survived at the expense of their mother, he would warm up to them.

But it was a hard week. For all of them. It had happened too soon after John's death for Sam and Dean to accept straight away. Dean thought it strange, that Isabel's death hit him so much harder than his father's. Maybe it was because with John and his way of life, he'd somehow expected it, always had an inkling it would end like that. The life of a supernatural hunter rarely flourished into old age. With Isabel, though, it was too sudden, she was too young, and to make matters worse, there was no one to blame. And because there was no one to blame, there was always the likely chance that the anger, borne naturally out of bereavement, would be misdirected.

With John's death, Sam and Dean hadn't had much time to wallow. They had faced it head on, buried him and moved on. Perhaps not emotionally, but it had a sense of finality. It had been like a hurricane that had come, devastated, and then evaporated as quickly as it had arrived. Life went on. Isabel's memory refused to vanish so easily into the ether. Her death was more akin to an earthquake, devastating in itself, only to create more heartbreak with the aftershocks.

The first of which, had been to tell Paul that his wife, whom he'd only spoken to earlier that day and had loved more than life itself, had died. Sam, after having told Dean the news of their cousin's death, had very easily submerged into his own grief. When Paul came sprinting down the emergency corridor and come upon the Winchesters, he immediately knew something had gone horribly wrong just by looking at Sam's face. It was left up to Dean to inform him of what had happened. Honesty was a strong suit for Paul, and years later he would admit to his grown children, albeit reluctantly, that the fact that they had survived had provided very little consolation at that particular moment.

He hadn't wanted to see his children. Instead he asked to see her. The doctor nodded solemnly, agreeing it would give him a sense of closure. Paul came back from the morgue only half alive himself. The nurse called Paul's next of kin, Pamela. She arrived fifteen minutes later, and rushed to her brother, pushing her own pain aside to support him. Unlike the men, her first thought had been for the babies and she dragged Paul up to the nursery and forced him to meet his children.

She told Sam and Dean that she would stay with her brother and watch the twins. They should go home, get some rest, pack some things for Paul, and maybe let people know what had happened. Sam and Dean looked at each other, at a loss for words. With nothing else to do in that hospital, they nodded obediently and headed back to the house.

Then, another shockwave. A nurse came out as they were leaving and handed Sam Isabel's belongings. Her purse, her sunglasses, her wedding ring, her keys and two other items that rendered Sam frozen; one was the pendant they'd given her for her birthday, the other was a shopping bag. Sam and Isabel had walked past a small boutique for babies and toddlers earlier that day and she'd fallen in love with a pair of bodysuits. She'd held them up for Sam to see, one in pink, one in blue, the smallest piece of clothing he'd ever seen in his life. Across the chest, in white letters _'I love my mommy'_

"_I have to buy them" She said preemptively to Sam as if she suspected he might try and talk her out of it "They are just adorable!"_

"_You're going to get a million just like those, next week for the baby shower" Sam pointed out._

"_Yes, but these are from me!" She argued "They're special" _

Sam handed the bag back to the nurse and without so much as a single word turned and walked off. Dean, without reason or desire to explain his brother's actions, followed suit, leaving the young woman holding the plastic shopping bag and staring after them uncertainly.

Next was the car. Sam had ridden in the ambulance with Isabel, so they'd left the car parked at the art center in Lawrence. He silently pulled the keys out of the front pocket of his jeans. Dean pointed out they should go pick it up and take it back to the house. Sam wasn't too keen on the idea, his face visibly paling as they pulled up to the gallery parking lot and spotted the SUV. It was the only car left. Without a word, Dean grabbed the keys from Sam's cold, limp fingers and stepped out.

"You take the Impala" He said, the first words he'd spoken since leaving the hospital "I'll drive the other one back"

Sam didn't wait and Dean watched from the driver's seat of the SUV as Sam disappeared down the street. He turned the ignition on and instantly pounded his fist against the CD player as the sounds of Duran Duran filled the car. Isabel had been playing that CD nonstop lately, having rediscovered her long forgotten passion for 80's glam pop rock. He welcomed the silence again, and after taking a few deep breaths he pulled out of the parking lot.

He arrived at Paul and Isabel's house after Sam, and as he pulled into the driveway, he noticed Sam was still sitting in the Impala. Dean looked at his brother worriedly. Sam was staring up at the house with dread and only came out of his stupor when Dean knocked his knuckles against the window of the car.

The house was quiet, dark and did nothing to make them feel better. Turning lights on only revealed more traces of Isabel. A leg of lamb she'd taken from the freezer the night before was thawing on the kitchen bench. Lamb was Paul's favorite and she was going to make it for dinner that night. Her half read copy of Jane Austen's Mansfield Park was sitting on the coffee table where she'd left it that morning. Her mauve raincoat, which at the last minute she had decided not to take with her to the doctor's appointment, was hanging off the back of one of the kitchen chairs. All those inanimate items were taunting them, falsely alluding that their cousin would be returning at any moment.

A phone rang. They stared at it. It was Isabel's cell, left charging on the kitchen counter. When it rang out, the home phone began to chime. Neither Sam nor Dean made a move towards it. The answering machine picked up and they both listened morosely as Isabel's voice politely asked the caller to leave a message after the beep.

_Isabel, where are you, child? I've been calling you all afternoon! I've had a strange feeling all day…I just wanted to make sure everything's alright…please call me as soon as you get this._

The machine cut her off.

"Missouri!" Dean muttered under his breath.

It was Missouri who finally did what had to get done. She came around later that night, after not hearing back from anyone. They told her what happened. Unnecessarily. The psychic already had tears streaming down her face when she knocked on the front door. She said she could feel the grief through the doors, walls, and all the way across the front yard where the cab had dropped her off.

After a half an hour of uncontrollable sobbing, she pulled herself together and picked up the phone, calling Isabel's closest friends to tell them what happened.

Later, the three of them sat in the lounge room in silence, lost in their own mournful thoughts. Missouri made some tea. She poured three cups and set them on the coffee table. They went untouched. Eventually there was knocking at the front door and Sam stirred in his sleep. He looked around. Both Dean and Missouri were fast asleep, uncomfortably slumped on the couch.

It was Pam. Sam remembered they'd completely forgotten about Paul. But Pam didn't say anything. She patted his shoulder gently as she looked behind him at Dean and Missouri's sleeping forms.

"I'll just go get some things for Paul" She whispered as she headed towards Paul and Isabel's bedroom "He's not ready to come back here yet"

Sam nodded. He almost wished he hadn't come back here either. She left as quickly as she had come, with a bundle of clothes under her arm as she gave Sam a faint wave on her way out.

He took his seat back on the couch and stared around the room, his gaze settled on a large framed collage Isabel had made from her wedding day photos, sitting above the fireplace. The photograph in the centre was of her and Paul, staring lovingly at each other, as if it were a miracle that they had even found one another. The one that captured Sam's attention though, was the one immediately next to it, almost as large in size. It was of the three of them, Sam and Dean with Isabel between them. They were staring directly at the camera and all three were laughing. Isabel had been self-conscious about her height, and the photographer had pulled out a massive phonebook for her to stand on so she wouldn't look so short between her two taller cousins. With her heels on as well, she had almost come up to Dean's height. For some reason, they had found the whole thing hilarious.

The next day, Pam brought up the topic of funeral arrangements. She'd done it gently and tactfully, but Dean couldn't handle it. He stood from his chair and disappeared out the front door in a flash, leaving her with Missouri and Sam as they listened to the Impala speed off. Pam looked at Sam questioningly.

Sam said he didn't care. Whatever they thought was best. He agreed absently when they suggested burial in Lawrence. Missouri agreed it was a better idea than burying her in Chicago with her parents. Pam figured Paul and Isabel's kids would grow up in Lawrence and this way they could visit their mom whenever they wanted. Then she said something that snapped him out of it.

"Maybe we can bury her near your mom"

It was too much. He stood, though not as abruptly as Dean had moments earlier and looked down at her. She meant well, he told himself.

"I'm sorry…I can't…I just can't do this now" He walked off and left her with Missouri to sort it all out.

The funeral was no better. Paul looked numb, robotically nodding at people who came to him to offer their condolences. Unabashedly breaking down as he laid his wife to rest. At the end Pam grabbed his arm and pulled him away towards the car.

Missouri gave a short eulogy, recounting the few short years she'd know Isabel and her immense happiness after having met Paul. Sam spoke too, mostly relating to the few memories he had of her as they were growing up. He was amazed with himself that he got through it with a surprising amount of composure, only choking up a handful of times.

Dean was cold and distant. He spoke to no one and stayed away from everyone. Similarly, everyone somehow knew to stay away from him too, as if he were giving off some sort of silent subconscious warning signal. He looked decidedly fierce. Even sitting at the cemetery, he stared angrily at the coffin, as if blaming it for trapping his cousin within it. Then he redirected his angry stare to the ground as Isabel's coffin was lowered, as if now it was the ground itself at blame for her the fact that she was gone, for taking her away. Once it was over and people started leaving, he lifted his accusing gaze to the sky. Instead of a dreary sky, of gray rain clouds mourning her and weeping for her like he felt they should have been, they were nowhere in sight. Oblivious to the sorrow below, the sun shone happily, the sky was a clear, bright blue, as if rejoicing in Isabel's arrival, pleased that she was now with them. It made him even angrier.

The whole day reminded Sam of Jessica and he wondered just how much more loss he could take. His heart ached so much already. He still missed Jessica, and it had been years since she'd died. How long would it take for the pain to stop? Would it ever?

He watched his brother, still sitting, alone on one of the hard folding chairs by Isabel's grave. Even the attendants from the funeral house were hesitant to approach him, and instead patiently waited for Dean to leave of his own accord so they could pack up. Missouri came up behind him and put an arm on his shoulder. To Sam's relief she didn't say anything; she left him sitting there in peace, alone with his thoughts. She walked up to Sam and handed him a handkerchief. He shook his head slightly at her. He'd already cried for his cousin, and he knew he would again. But not here, not right now. From past experience he knew it would happen again when he was alone and the slightest memory, object, scent and, even sound, reminded him of her.

They walked a few steps away from the gravesite when Sam finally asked her about the message on the answering machine. Missouri had mentioned she'd felt something wasn't right that day.

"I sensed something wrong" Missouri admitted to Sam as mourners cleared out of the cemetery "Weeks ago"

"Weeks ago?" Sam asked "You knew this would happen?"

"No, I knew_ something_ would happen" She explained "I told Isabel"

"She never said anything to us"

"No, and she made me promise not to say anything either. Especially to you two" Missouri continued with a worried glance towards Dean "She said we'd already messed with fate enough and so far it hadn't turned out well. She wanted to let things play out the way they should"

Dean disappeared again straight after the funeral, and Sam knew better than to go after him. He smiled sadly to himself. If Isabel were around, she would have gone looking for him. In a heartbeat.

When Dean returned to the house hours later, it was dark and everyone had gone. Paul was at the hospital again, keeping a quite vigil for his children. Missouri had cleaned up after everyone and she'd left only moments earlier.

Sam watched in alarm as his older brother stormed into the house. He had an air of determination about him and Sam instantly knew something was up. He followed him into their room.

"What's up?" He asked as Dean started to pack up his things "What are you doing?"

"I need to get out of here" Dean said as he continued to stuff clothes into his duffel bag.

'Where are you going?"

"I don't know" He said testily "I just need to get away"

"But we just had the funeral…Thomas and Mary are coming home in a few days…"

"I know!" He roared then took a calming breath before repeating softly "I know"

It horribly dawned on Sam where Dean was about to go, what he was about to do.

"You're going to Mississippi" He stated.

"I don't know what you're talking about" Dean was still avoiding his brother's eyes.

"Don't lie to me, Dean! You're going to that crossroads in Mississippi" Sam repeated "You're going to make a trade"

Dean flung his bag over his shoulder and turned viciously to Sam.

"So what if I am?" He hissed.

"No, Dean. You're talking about a deal with the devil!" Sam tried to talk some sense into his brother.

The thought had also entered Sam's mind, but he'd pushed it away immediately. It was a bad idea. A bad idea with even worse consequences.

"Maybe I can get her back" Dean said heatedly as he made a move to go.

Sam quickly stepped in front of him and pushed him back into the room.

"At what price, Dean? Your soul?"

"What does it matter?"

"It matters! Besides, she's already gone, Dean" Sam said "It's too late"

"No, it's not" Dean said "I'm going. I can at least find out what happened"

"What do you mean what happened? She died! This wasn't anyone's fault. There's no one to hunt down, there's no one to go after"

"There has to be!"

"Listen to me, Dean! Isabel is dead, and it wasn't the demon, it wasn't a ghost or a spirit ...it was just life…maybe it was just meant to…"

Dean grabbed Sam by the collar of his shirt before he even finished his thought. His face a mask of pure fury.

"So help me God, Sam, if you say it was meant to happen, if you say it was fate!"

"What if it was?" Sam argued as he freed himself from Dean's grip "You can't change what happened. It's not up to you!"

"Why not?" Said Dean, defeated, as if even that sudden burst of rage had drained him "I want her back"

"So do I, Dean, but not like this" He said in a gentler tone "It's not what she'd want"

"She's lying dead in a coffin six feet under the ground! You think _that's_ what she wanted?"

"She wouldn't want you to do this, and you know it!" Sam insisted "She'd never forgive you…and neither would I"

That seemed to have struck a chord with him. It was true, Dean realized. She would never forgive him if he did this. But he wasn't sure he could forgive himself if he didn't. As much as he hated the thought of fate and destiny, especially in light of recent events…maybe it was true. What if it was meant to happen like this?

What if there was a greater reason Isabel hadn't died in that accident with her parents years ago? What if there was a reason they turned up at her doorstep after Sam's dream? A reason they left her in Kansas with Missouri? A reason the demon had been in her body when it was exorcised? A reason she died now.

They hadn't spoken about it but now that Isabel had died, she had taken the demon with her, and Dean knew that after the initial grief subsided, he and Sam would have to discuss what this meant for them. Was it truly over? Were they free now? Was that Isabel's final gift to them? Was that her purpose? If it was, who was _he_ to throw it away?

Sam was right. He dropped his duffel bag on the ground and sat down at the edge of the bed, staring up at his younger brother apologetically. Satisfied he wasn't going anywhere, Sam took a seat next to him.

"It hurts" He stated plainly.

"I know" Said Sam "But I know what can make it better"

"What" Dean asked skeptically.

"I think it's time you met your nephew and niece"

It had been a week since Thomas and Mary had been born and Dean had not even set eyes on them yet. He looked at Sam apprehensively, unsure as to his own reaction when confronted with Isabel's flesh and blood. The pieces of herself she'd left behind. He supposed that even though the day she died would be a horrible anniversary for years to come, it would also be their birthday and Isabel would want it celebrated and she would want her children loved. He had promised her he'd look out for them. And he'd meant it.

"Yeah" He said with a little smile.

Sam stood up and pulled his brother along "Come on then. Let's go"

XXXXXX

AN: Just an epilogue after this. I'm not planning a sequel at all.

I had actually begun to think about starting another story, long like this one. Then, after surfing the net and checking out a few episodes in the second season (remember we are behind here in Australia, we're only just up to Hunted this week!), I came across a synopsis of Houses of the Holy and it kinda stole my thunder. So I don't know now.

You've probably also noticed that most of the chapter titles are actually song titles. You can probably tell that my iPod is a horrible mish mash of everything from show tunes and blues, to heavy metal and disco. Everyone always tells me I have the dorkiest taste in music, but I really don't care. I love it all!

I probably should have mentioned in each chapter's author's note where they came from, but oh well, I'm going to do it now.

-Devil's Advocate: Not a song title, I know, but one of my favorite movies from one of my favorite books.

-The Windy City: From one of my favorite musicals 'Calamity Jane'. Although I do realize that it is the common name for Chicago. Who doesn't love Doris Day? Seriously!

-We Are Family: One of my favorite disco songs ever. You haven't truly danced to this unless you've been to a drag show.

-The Butterfly effect: I'm a scientist so and I've come across Chaos Theory many times in my undergraduate studies and reading. This has always been_ the_ theory that blows my mind, mainly because I truly believe it.

-Dreams: from the mighty Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Nicks who is without question the coolest chick in rock.

-What a Difference a Day Made: What can I say? I'm a sucker for Dean Martin.

-Bat Out Of Hell: Meatloaf

-Momentary Lapse of Reason: Not my favorite Pink Floyd song, but Shine On You Crazy Diamond didn't quite have the same ring and it didn't fit with the chapter.

-Boys Don't Cry: The Cure. Robert Smith at his best (In my humble opinion)

-Nobody's fault but Mine: What I wouldn't give to go back in time to the 70's and see Led Zeppelin live! Am I right? Maybe I should go see about that Crossroads Demon and see what kind of deal we can work out!

-Take the Long Way Home: Supertramp.

-White Wedding: Billy Idol.

-By demons Be Driven: Pantera. If it hadn't been for my ex-boyfriend I would have never known these guys even existed. As it turned out, I didn't actually mind their stuff (in very small doses)

-Don't Dream It's Over: Probably not a very popular band in America, but if you get a chance to hear this Crowded House song, I guarantee you will love it. Beautiful lyrics.

-God's Gonna Cut You Down: I don't know why I like Johnny Cash. Even after seeing the movie, I still like him. I think it's the voice. It's sexy and I dare anyone to deny it.

-Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas: I can't express how much I love Judy Garland.

-I'll Be Seeing You: Recorded by many, but I'm specifically referring to the great Billie Holliday.

-The Ground Beneath Her Feet: My favorite U2 song and they didn't even write it themselves!


	41. Epilogue

For the last time, hope you enjoy.

XXXXXXXX

_Ten years later_

_Lawrence, Kansas_

Thomas and Mary blew out their candles in uncanny synchronicity. It was strange that although they were not identical twins, they were still so eerily tuned to each other.

Sam and Dean watched poignantly as the twins celebrated their tenth birthday. The house was alight with activity, noise, and the sound of happy children. It was a confounding soundtrack to a day that brought both joy and heartache to most of the adults in the room. Try as they might every year to revel in the happiness of the twins' birthdays, the thought of Isabel was never too far away and her presence felt thick in the air, almost tangible.

Sam watched Isabel's children in reflective awe. They had grown up so much and so fast. They were now starting to look a lot like their parents and their personalities, which had begun to diverge from each other over the last few years, had now started to resemble other members of the family, becoming an intricate patchwork of Rhoades, Bennett and, even a little Winchester.

Sam focused first on his nephew, Thomas. He looked nothing like Isabel. Physically all his features were Paul's and Pamela's, Paul's sister. The only unmistakable physical trait he'd inherited from his mother, were his eyes. He had the same blue-green orbs Isabel and Dean had both shared. But while he may not have looked like Isabel, his personality may as well have been cloned from her.

Thomas was a swirling mass of energy. He had a sharp wit, laced with rapidly budding sarcasm and a promising hint of brutal honesty. Sam wasn't sure if he inherited that directly from Isabel or if spending so much time with Dean was rubbing off on the child. He was impulsive, hotheaded and stubborn. Sam had seen Thomas throw some legendary temper tantrums that would have made his mother proud. Tenacious and feisty, at just ten years old he was already a gifted prankster, possessing a talent for creative practical jokes which his uncle Dean was doing his best to foster and cultivate in his protégé. The two were becoming more and more inseparable. Paul was indulgent and lenient when it came to his wayward son, probably just thankful that it had been Thomas and not his little girl who'd turned out like his late wife and her older and equally wayward cousin.

Mary.

Sam smiled as he set eyes on his niece. It sometimes hurt to look at her. With each passing year she was becoming more and more the spitting image of her mother. She still had the body and face of a child, but she looked like Isabel did when she herself was only a child. Ten, fifteen, even twenty years from now, Mary would be a permanent reminder of Isabel as she had looked before she'd been taken away from them. Her hair was the exact same auburn, falling in the exact same waves down her back. She would be petite, she would be fair, and she would be beautiful. But her eyes, instead of sparkling with the impish exuberance of her brother's and her mother's greens, would radiate compassion and warmth in the same sky blue shade of her father's. She was Paul all over.

She was a sharp contrast to her twin brother. Mature beyond her years, kind, precocious, aloof and extremely intelligent, often preferring to read a book in the privacy of her room than playing with friends. She was quiet, reserved, and watched the world around her with a keen eye. Sam often wondered what thoughts went through her head. She was perceptive of people, attuned to their feelings, motives, and the thoughts they never voiced, just like her mother. It was no surprise that she favored her younger uncle Sam to the exhausting energy of Dean.

Sam laughed as he watched Mary raise an Isabel-worthy lofty eyebrow at Dean and Thomas, who were now engaged in a food fight. Even her uncle Dean, almost three decades her senior, was sometimes too immature for her. Subtly and craftily she grabbed the leftover cake from the table before it became ammo for the growing food feud and walked past Sam into the kitchen, where she passed it on to Missouri. From his seat in the lounge room he could hear her with a jaded tone rat her brother and uncle out to the women.

Sam wisely left the room as Pamela and Missouri came out to catch the boys red-handed and start their scolding. He followed his niece to the kitchen. Most of the guests had left by now and the people remaining were mostly family. She had taken a seat near the window and was looking out in contemplation. He could tell there were a million thoughts spinning around in her mind.

"Mary?" He said quietly as he took a seat next to her.

"Hi" She replied with a small smile as she turned to him.

"Something wrong, pumpkin?"

"Dad" She said as she turned back to look out the window "He looks so sad"

He followed her gaze and regarded Paul, sitting by himself on one of the plastic chairs in the backyard. It was hard to describe his face, his expression. It was one both of happiness and melancholy. Paul had struggled even after all this time to come to terms with Isabel's death. He had done extremely well lately, and had even begun to date again. But this day, every year, it all became a bit too much for him.

"It's a tough day for him"

"He still misses mommy, doesn't he?" She asked, though there was no intonation in her voice. It hadn't really been a question.

"Yeah, he does" Sam said putting an arm around her "We all do"

"I know. Everyone is sad today. Every year, everyone is sad" Her tone had a trace of bitterness to it and her bright blue eyes darkened slightly as she turned to Sam "It's not fair!"

"No, honey, we're not sad. It's just that ten years ago, this day was…it was hard. It doesn't mean we're not happy" He reassured her pulling her closer to him "It's your birthday…and Tommy's. Of course we're happy"

"I know. I understand. So does Tommy" She said tiredly, turning back to her dad. She watched him sadly, wishing she could share his pain, alleviate it "But I don't like to see daddy sad…and neither does mommy"

He wasn't sure he'd heard her right. He turned sharply to her, trying not to shiver at the cold chill that had just washed over him.

"What?" He kept his voice steady.

As if knowing she'd said something she shouldn't have, she shook her head quickly.

"Nothing" She said dismissively.

"No, Mary, what did you mean?" He glanced quickly towards Dean, but he was still getting told off. He turned back to his niece.

She let out a deep breath and relented "Mommy told me she didn't like to see daddy sad, or you, or uncle Dean. She doesn't like it when you're sad"

"She _told_ you?"

"She talks to me sometimes"

Mary had already figured out about her uncles. She was sharp and she'd found unexplainable obscure artifacts and objects way too often to ignore they were involved in some pretty strange things. From Isabel's pendant and holy water, to several weapons and talismans in both Dean's and Sam's house, it hadn't taken her long to ask what the hell was going on.

Sam had come clean the day she'd found the journal Isabel had given him for his twenty-third birthday. Two years ago, he'd taken both her and Tommy to upstate New York to spend the weekend with him and his wife, Sarah. Mary had pulled out the book from the trunk of his car as she was loading her bag and asked him straight out what it was. There was no other way he could explain the supernatural symbols, research, pictures, spells. He now realized why she hadn't been so freaked out. Had Isabel told her about them and what they did?

"How? Where?"

"When I'm sleeping. Sometimes I dream about her and she talks to me"

Before the sun set that day, Sam and Dean snuck out of the house and headed to the Lawrence Cemetery. They walked silently side by side; stopping shortly by their mother's grave before making their way to Isabel's. Sam bent down and placed a bunch of pink roses next to her headstone. Sam noted how it was getting easier with each passing year. Every year it hurt that little bit less. Only a little bit though.

Dean put a hand on Sam's shoulder. He knew his younger brother was affected by every visit. Dean was a little more pragmatic. To him, it was really just a grave. Isabel wasn't really there. This was just a place to come and remember her.

He did that quite often though. It had become a place not only to remember his cousin, but his father, his mother. The cemetery represented everyone he'd lost. One of the reasons he'd decided to settle in Kansas.

It had happened rather gradually. He and Sam hit the road after Isabel's death, returning to their hunting, as if they could run away from what happened. The demon was gone though, for good, and at some point, once the initial pain of their cousin's death had subsided and they could no longer run away from the residual grief which was destined to remain in their hearts for life, he and Sam figured they had to move on.

Sam had gone back to college to finish his law degree. A court case took him to upstate New York five years later, where a twist of fate reunited him with Sarah, who was now in charge of her father's art gallery. It had been easy for the two to pick up where they'd left off, and a year later, Sam had relocated to the East Coast and they were married.

Dean's life didn't go quite so smoothly. He reluctantly let his brother go back to California, but decided not to quit the hunting business. Always wanting to be on the road, he picked jobs anywhere around the country that could bring him around to California and Kansas. Desperate to grasp onto anything that was left of Isabel, he would drop by the house, he would go through her things, and more importantly and surprisingly, he became extremely attached to both Mary and Thomas. Then one day, he dropped by after a hunt and never left, deciding it had become the only place that felt like home.

He got a place nearby and a job with Guenther, who was now getting on in years. The old mechanic already promised to leave the garage to Dean. He still went on hunts when he could. The habit had become too hard to break. Sometimes, he even managed to drag Sam into it who, lawyer or not, was still one hell of a hunter. And then during one of the hunts, he met Terri. He still struggled to come to terms with the fact that the now had a 'steady girlfriend'.

Sam must have read his mind, known his brother was thinking about how they'd come to this place in their lives. What a difference ten years had made, and how Isabel's death, though one of the most painful experiences of their lives, had managed to buy their freedom. How it had saved them.

Sam laughed and told Dean how on his twenty-third birthday, when the three of them had gone to a bar to celebrate in Arkansas during their road trip, she had told Sam she would give anything to see Dean settle down.

"Settle down?" Dean asked Sam with a smirk. Only in the last couple of years had they been able to recall humorous anecdotes involving their cousin.

"Well, her exact words were, _knock him flat on his ass_" Sam said with a smile "I was just paraphrasing"

"Is this your roundabout way of asking me if Terri and I are going to get married?"

"It's been three years, Dean. Just do it!" Sam said tiredly "You're not fooling anyone"

"Sam, just because you got married and became Joe Normal doesn't mean everyone has to" It was only for the sake of dissent. Dean knew he was going to marry Terri, it was just a matter of choosing the right moment.

"Come on, Terri's great. She's laid back, she lets you go hunting. She doesn't hold you down" Sam pointed out "She won't wait forever, you know? And you're not getting any younger"

"I guess" Dean said with a look to Isabel's headstone "It's been ten years"

"Yeah, if it weren't for those two kids, I'd never even know it" Sam said thinking of Tom and Mary and how they had become almost a walking calendar "They're growing up so fast"

"Tell me about it! I took Tom out to the Jayhawks basketball game last week, and get this…he's got his first crush"

"Already? He's ten"

"Yeah, one of Mary's school friends" Dean said with a little smile "He's just like her, you know. He's a male version of Bel"

"So basically, he's you" Sam said with a dramatic gasp of alarm "We'll have to warn all women in America"

"Funny" Dean said sarcastically "But I think it's actually Mary we'll have to keep an eye out for, 'cause when that girl hits her teens we'll be beating the boys off with a stick"

"Or a baseball bat" Sam suggested.

"Hunting rifle?"

They shared a laugh before Sam turned to Dean. His face now serious.

"Mary said something to me today"

"What?"

"She said that Isabel visits her" Sam said then remained quiet, letting the fact sink in.

Dean felt he hairs on his neck stand up, and he looked down at his cousin's grave again, as if expecting her ghost to materialize right in front of him after that statement.

"Her ghost?" He asked Sam shakily.

"I don't think so. She only sees her in her sleep. In her dreams"

"And what happens?"

"Nothing. They talk"

"So it's not something we should do anything about?" Dean asked hopefully.

The idea of seeing Isabel's ghost both thrilled him and scared him. The idea of having to salt and burn his cousin's bones nauseated him.

"No" Sam said quickly "I think Mary may have special…abilities"

"Think she may be some sort of medium?"

"Yeah, maybe" Sam said "I think some of this stuff just runs in our family"

"What do you mean?"

"Remember Isabel saying that her mom and our mom used to have conversations with each other without even speaking"

"Yeah, but wasn't that more of a twin thing than mind reading? You think they might have been telepaths?" Dean replied. Tom and Mary did that now sometimes.

"Maybe, maybe not" Sam said "But, what about me and my visions? I still have them. And now Mary and her dreams?"

"I thought you'd given up on all this supernatural business"

"I haven't given up, Dean. I just…I have a job, I'm married now, Sarah and I are about to start a family. I can't go off hunting all the time anymore"

"But you're staying in Kansas for a few more days, right?"

"Yeah, why?" Sam asked slowly and suspiciously

Dean smiled mischievously at his younger brother and pulled out a newspaper clipping from his jacket pocket.

"Looks like a little vampire action in Nebraska. Shouldn't take more than a couple of days" Dean said excitedly "You game?"

"I don't know, Dean" Sam started unsurely.

"What, you gotta ask your wife for permission?" Dean asked mockingly.

Sam stared at his brother for a moment, finally letting out a deep sigh. He moved to snatch the keys from Dean's hands.

"I'm driving" He said.

Dean scoffed and pulled them away from him, heading off towards the Impala.

"Like hell you are"

XXXXXXXX

That is it! Done! Finished! The End!

It took me so long to post because I didn't want it to end!

Thank you so much to everyone who has read these stories and a huge, huge, huge virtual hug to everyone who has reviewed. Really, thank you. You guys rock.

Until inspiration strikes again.

Toodles

Andrea


End file.
